Americas: Faces of the asylum-seeker caravan
A few days ago, after an arduous journey lasting several weeks, around 200 Central Americans arrived at the end of their journey in Tijuana, on the border with the USA, and prepared to ask for asylum.
The hundreds of asylum-seekers in the caravan who travelled across Mexico to seek refuge in the USA represent a tiny fraction of the total number of asylum-seekers in the USA. However, President Trump cited the caravan as the reason for deploying the National Guard on the border with Mexico.
Caravans of migrants are not a new phenomenon. For several years, people from places like Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala have fled their countries, which are among the most violent on the planet. Travelling as a group is a way to protect yourself during a trip through Mexico that is full of dangers.
Their aim is to ask for protection as refugees in the USA. Although President Trump sought to brand them as criminals, it is not a crime to seek asylum at the US official border post.
Although President Trump sought to brand them as criminals, it is not a crime to seek asylum at the US official border post
A version of this article was published in Buzzfeed
Sergio and María travelled together from El Salvador. When they arrived in Playas de Tijuana at the end of their journey, they got married. Within hours, they were to approach the US authorities to seek asylum. "It was a decision we made some time ago, and this journey has united us even more, so we decided to get married, now, here in Playas de Tijuana," Maria told Amnesty International. "We are a little afraid of what may happen today when we cross to the USA. They told us that they can take our children away when we get there, but I have faith in what may happen."
When they reached the end of their journey on 29 April, the members of the caravan were met by a solidarity march of US citizens.
"We are not criminals, we are the hope of Latin America". Members of the caravan and their representatives marched through the streets of Tijuana to the border crossing point between Mexico and the USA.
Ireneo Mujica, a representative of the organization Pueblo Sin Fronteras and coordinator of the caravan, explains the reasons for this movement of people and the urgent need for international protection of Hondurans, Salvadorans and Guatemalans travelling through Mexico by bus and in the freight train called "La Bestia" ("The Beast").
The US government responded by rejecting the caravan. Twenty-six hours passed before Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials let a small group of eight asylum-seekers through on the night of 30 April. More than 140 people remained outside in the forecourt of the "El Chaparral" border checkpoint in Tijuana, sleeping in the open air in the cold.
Last hugs before crossing. A member of the caravan says goodbye before approaching US Customs and facing the uncertainty and the prospect of prolonged detention in the USA. The US government has the largest immigration detention system in the world, in violation of international standards, which require that the detention of migrants should be the exception and for as short a time as possible.
Days passed and the Central American families were still waiting to cross to the USA. Civil organizations in Tijuana, such as the Red Cross, as well as local authorities, provided health services for the people camped out waiting.
More than 30 LGBTI people were part of the caravan, including several trans women. They face particularly grave risks given the high levels of discrimination and violence faced by LGBTI people in Mexico. Amnesty International heard testimonies of trans women from the caravan who were arbitrarily detained by Mexican police precisely on the days when they were waiting to cross into the USA. In addition, another group of trans women were recently attacked in Tijuana.
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