Let My People Go on Vacation
A weekend getaway in a foreign destination sounds romantic doesn’t it? It’s important to remember that it’s a privilege only afforded to those who possess the proper documentation to travel across borders. For many immigrants travel outside the country where they presently reside is no longer an option. A group of migrants are headed north on an international tour through Central & South America. While their final destination is uncertain, many people are concerned with where the more than 700 individuals will ultimately attempt to settle.
“The migrant group left the southern Mexican border town of Tapachula on March 25, at that point numbering about 700. Most of the participants were from Honduras and many of them said they were fleeing violence and poverty in their home countries, organizers said. Some say they were inspired to flee Honduras following the violent suppression of political protests that erupted after last year’s presidential election.” [1](Semple, 2018) People in need of reprieve from violence and oppression often imagine that life could be better for them in a more free society like those found in North American countries like The United States or Canada. Travelling as far north as Canada will definitely pose a challenge as the governments and leaders of both Mexico and the US have stated their intention to take action to put the continuous movement north of the caravan to a stop.
Tapachula is located at the most southern part of the Mexican border. The caravan will have to travel nearly 4,000 miles to get to the US border although it is “predicted that at most 10 percent to 15 percent of the participants would seek asylum at the American border.” [2](Semple, 2018) These statistics suggest that roughly one hundred people will attempt to cross the southern border of the United States are causing upset in the executive branch of the US government with “Trump tweet[ing] Tuesday morning the caravan, estimated to be carrying more than 1,000 Central Americans, “had better be stopped” before reaching the U.S. border with Mexico.” [3](Lam, 2018)
In this new anti-immigrant climate being experienced by the United States fewer travelers are coming into the US and it is disrupting industries. “The United States is granting fewer visitor visas to people from around the world […] the U.S. granted 13 percent fewer visitor visas over the past 12 months when compared with fiscal year 2016, according to State Department data analyzed by POLITICO — a downward trend that appears to have accelerated in the past six months… Critics say that, by imposing new procedural and security hurdles, Trump and his aides are building a figurative wall to keep people out of America, even those who just want to come for a brief visit. The critics fear the drop in visas could damage industries, ranging from tourism to higher education.” [4](Nahal et al., 2018)
Attempts to escape political oppression or financial vortexes can be difficult at best. The internal shift of the prevailing attitude towards immigrants is having a rippling effect on not only industries that are reliant on their economic support but on the very psyche of those seeking to escape societies they feel are oppressive. Travel for immigrants pose additional challenges not faced by their card carrying national counterparts. The current temperature suggests that many of those hoping to escape locales that don’t support their overall well-being may want to shift their horizons from what used to be safe havens for the tired hungry and poor.
[1] Semple, Kirk (April 2nd, 2018) Trump Transforms Immigrant Caravans in Mexico Into Cause Célèbre https://nyti.ms/2v3KOuL
[2] Semple, Kirk (April 2nd, 2018) Trump Transforms Immigrant Caravans in Mexico Into Cause Célèbre https://nyti.ms/2v3KOuL
[3] Lam, Katherine (April 3rd, 2018) Organizers of US-bound immigrant caravan accuse Trump of ‘bullying,’ ‘threats of mass violence’ https://fxn.ws/2IrjckV
[4] Nahal, T., Hesson, T. & Frostenson, S. (April 3rd, 2018) Foreign visas plunge under Trump https://politi.co/2q1Ehuy
