The Migrant Caravan From Honduras Essay Example

Recently, the political scene of the United States has been characterized by several major issues that have been greatly trending both in the news media and online. Particularly, at the dawn of the mid-term elections, the murder of the Washington Post journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, to the elections themselves, to matters of fascism and anti-fascism, to various protests and terrorist threats as such have been mentioned several times.

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A major debate has been arising over one of specific concern of the migrant caravan that since the early October have been moving closer to the Mexico/USA border town of Tijuana, all in attempts to seek asylum in the United States. Some US citizens haven't been quite receptive to the caravan while some have been more open-minded on the issue. The President himself has been leading those who are strongly against the caravan moving into the USA, even going as far as terming the migrants as 'thugs and thieves' who want to take advantage to gain access to the country.

However, the main issue here isn't about 'thugs and thieves', it is about human beings who are fleeing their war-torn homelands in search of asylum and maybe a better lifestyle in America. The President and company, however, will not listen to such kind of 'crap'. After all, he has more pressing issues as the POTUS.

This paper aims to critically look into this issue of migrant caravan from both sides with reference to the US law and policy on immigration, with an aim to present a deep understanding on this issue and consequently come up with any recommendations upon which the matter can be handled in the most amicable way possible such that it's a win situation for both sides. The main question is whether as opposed to the President's sentiments, the immigrants should be given a welcoming hand when they finally reach this border.

In order to come to a fully informed decision on this, we must first ask, who are these people that are crossing the border into America, and the consequent reasons to which they are forced to only come to America and not other neighbouring countries. Most of the immigrants in the caravan are from central American countries (Salvadoran, Guatemala, Honduras).

The immigration law is very clear and the president's concern on border security and the people crossing the border into America should not be dismissed. The United States has continually been receiving millions of registered immigrants every year. As a matter of fact, recent statistics show that the USA is still the country with the highest level of immigrant registration annually. The law requires that immigrants obtain entry into the United States through various legal ways that have been laid out by the government (Alden et al., pp 108-27). However, seeing as most of the people crossing are women and children who are themselves fleeing from violence in their own homelands, one might wonder whether the concern is not a little too exaggerated.

Majority of the people against the caravan migrants fear that this might lead to an influx of immigrants into the USA, which might further worsen the immigration crisis in the country. Illegal immigration issues have been a great subject of discussion for a while, way before the caravan (Bacon and David, pp. 45). Even though according to research, immigrants offer the country so much, the President and several members of the Senate together with other politicians have strongly suggested that they won't allow the caravan into the country.

The USA industry is full of immigrants who offer cheap labour to numerous companies, in fact, one can confidently say that today, the American economy is held together by the non-natives. From athletics to football to banking to commercial services; name it all, every sector of the industry is dominated by the immigrants. This concern with the caravan brings to the table the bigger picture; Americans do not want immigrants in their country (Schain and Martin, pp 212). The people are complaining that the immigrants are taking their deserved jobs and using their scarce resources. Yet, still, the most recent statistics have shown that there are still millions of jobs to be filled in the United States economy.

Now, on this problem of the caravan, there is a group that has greatly criticized the President for his stand on the matter. The President has bluntly stated that he will do everything in his power to stop the 'filthy and weird' caravan. There must always exist some other way of solving crucial issues such as this one, however, the president has chosen his side already. Indeed, it is the fundamental responsibility of the government to take care of the citizens by making sure everyone who crosses the border is does not mean any harm (LeMa et al., pp 154-77).

For a long time now, nonnatives have been greatly stereotyped with numerous despising notions. They have been linked with violence, robbery, gang fights and many other crimes. For this reason, most people have been feeling like the migrant caravan that is fast approaching the border, will add to these crimes and other concerns and make the current situation worse. Surprisingly, there exists no sufficient evidence to prove that those who are involved in crimes are mainly nonnatives.

Given the fact that immigrants are a very important part of the United States society, politicians and any stakeholders should critically think about the issue of the caravan before making hasty judgments. Indeed, the caravan might be carrying some people with out of the norm behaviours, but most of the people moving toward the border are those who are genuinely in need of help. Therefore, those who are genuine shouldn't suffer at the expense of a few rogue persons in the caravan.

The economic conditions within the home regions of most of the individuals in the caravan have been worsening. Honduras has seen fights break out in the country in which security and food have become a major problem. Moreover, such conditions also don't guarantee healthcare as needed. The images of the caravan can confirm this. These are people who have moved many miles in search for better jobs and better overall lifestyle. They shouldn't be looked at as enemies, but important people who will help continue growing the United States economy to even greater heights.

By the time the caravan reaches the border, they will have moved hundreds of miles, most of them walking. To walk hundreds of miles to the border and get turned back would not be the be the best feeling to anyone, leave alone the individuals in the caravan. Why then should they be treated differently? Moreover, United States immigration procedures are complex and take time to complete and get approved. Most of these people in the caravan have been forced to move out of their countries. They didn't plan neither did they have time to. As such, they couldn't be able to complete all these requirements to gain entry.

The countries from which the migrants are coming from are in economic crises and the United States has continually reduced aid to them (Aguila and Emma, pp 22). The Trump administration has greatly cut aid to other American countries and is threatening to even cut it further. These countries would greatly benefit with such aid. They wouldn't be in the economic crisis and consequently, their citizens wouldn't have to walk to the border to pressure the government to give them entry. Maybe this is the line of thinking everyone should start adopting and we won't have problems such as these.

The matters of the law and the potential behaviour of the people in the caravan should be put aside. Since these people desperately need help and they have shown with great determination that they will use any means to get it, maybe, they should be considered. It is possible the country could create for them at least some space, which is better than keeping them at the border. The government can then create an impromptu strategy and system for registering and capturing information about these people so that each of them can be absorbed into the American economy.

Even though everyone might agree that most of the people in the caravan have no ill motives, due to the lack of proper vetting of illegal immigrants, some people with ill motives such as terrorists, drug traffickers, thieves and people dealing in human trafficking might gain access into the country, causing the national security level to depreciate.

Despite these, it is a well-known fact that immigrants are huge drivers in the economy since they provide most of the unskilled labour required by many industries in the country, Furthermore, these are human beings just like every citizen and they deserve the best treatment regardless of the ways they resort to in seeking help. Aside from the fact that they also contribute to growing the local market by consuming locally made products. Immigrants also pay a lot of taxes which are needed by any government for sustainable development. Apart from being a huge benefit to the economy, immigrants also help the development of a vibrant modern culture as their cultures mix with cultures of the citizens of the country. Considering these factors henceforth, it is vital not to politicize the issue of the caravan but rather go back to the drawing board, do extensive research and come up with effective solutions to the problem (Hepburn et al., pp. 60).

Conclusion

By weighting the impact of immigration into the United States, we can rightly conclude that welcoming immigrants into the country will do better than harm. It is therefore recommended that the laws on immigration be more accommodating so that people can enter the country through the right channels. By giving a welcoming hand to the immigrants when they reach the border, we will not only be helping them but also help improve the state of the country.

Works Cited

Aguila, Emma. United States and Mexico: Ties That Bind, Issues That Divide. , 2012. Print

Alden, Edward H, Jeb Bush, and Thomas F. McLarty. U. S. Immigration Policy: Report of an Independent Task Force. New York: Council on Foreign Relations, 2009. Internet resource.

Bacon, David. Illegal People. Boston: Beacon Press, 2008. Internet resource.

Hepburn, Eve, and Ricard Zapata-Barrero. The Politics of Immigration in the Multi-Level States: Governance and Political Parties. Basingstoke, England: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014. Internet resource.

LeMay, Michael C, and Elliott R. Barkan. U.s. Immigration and Naturalization Laws and Issues: A Documentary History. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 1999. Print.

Schain, Martin. The Politics of Immigration in France, Britain, and the United States: A Comparative Study. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008. Internet resource.