Central America: Migrant caravan defies threats Trump
Saturday 13 October the second migrant caravan began in San Pedro Sula in Honduras. About 7.000 Hondurans, among other nationalities, They have already entered Mexico and march towards the US border. Xenophobic speech Trump, who shipping 5.200 military to the border and threatened to withdraw the right to citizenship to children of immigrants born in Yankee soil, does not stop.
As I write these lines two sections of the caravan are transiting through Mexico. As we reported La Jornada 31/10/2018, the first round with a 6 thousand members arrived in Juchitan in Oaxaca and another column 2 thousand Hondurans, Guatemalans and Salvadorans did the same in Tapachula 25 km border, the latter being contingent the hardest hit by the repression. In addition, other 500 Salvadorans are concentrated on the border with the Aztec country.
The caravan flees from "hunger and death" is one of many titles that have been made this, caravan migrant largest in recent history. In this desperate action of thousands of Hondurans and other inhabitants of the region to save life. And never mind the thousands of kilometers that must travel on foot, hunger, inclement weather, the repression, prevent threats moving to the US, for thousands, including many mothers with small kids, They have decided to undertake this journey.
The reasons are simple and strong. Simply review any of the testimony that repeat and repeat as if the script had been agreed. A lack of work, the misery, the absolute impossibility of escape extreme poverty (1), the terrible corruption and arbitrariness of a political regime with US support imposed a president who lost the election, violent action of organized mafias adds, mara (2). What they made them out to save their lives. Like a war. Something that reminds us of Syrian refugees, Middle East or African.
But it is in our American continent. Another humanitarian disaster. Addressing the giant to North captures the attention of the world and opaque at times other immigration disaster in our region, Venezuelan emigration. Or else lower, but also recent, as is that of the 30.000 Nicaraguan refugees emigrated to Costa Rica fleeing bullets and repression Ortega.
A migration naked conditions misery, delivery and exploitation in the northern triangle (Honduras, Salvador and Guatemala) a "backyard" to burst, or which is already bursting if we understand this phenomenon espontaneo as another manifestation of a Central American village that bears no longer live as before.
The migrant column has passed so far repressive attempts. Perhaps the most important, the closure of the bridge crossing the Suchiate River that separates Guatemala from Mexico and attempt to brake the security forces sent by Peña Nieto at the request of Trump. The phenomenon is so massive that neither the threats of US President withdraw support to the governments of the countries of the region and leaving migrants who pass, or the daily cooperation of PRI rule with the Yankees, They were able to stop the caravan.
Dumps resources to repatriate those who did not support the effort, the promises of temporary residence, work and support of the current Mexican government, in another attempt to stop, They have failed to break the decision to keep thousands of US, to a destination to be citizens and workers fourth, It is to have a future in front of the terrible living conditions that support in their hometowns.
The solidarity of the workers and poor people, They crossing on their way, sustains, helps with the basics to follow. A solidarity that has a lot of class solidarity, of that generosity with those who have less precisely.
The course of the mobilization in the form of migrant caravan tense, kilometer kilometer, rope into a violent confrontation. It is beyond the electoral use that Trump has decided to give the made-and according to the New York Times serves to develop its xenophobic discourse and try to improve their performance in the upcoming elections- promising measures are unconstitutional and make the right to citizenship to children of illegal immigrants born on US soil, the trailer has to be stopped.
Do not mean that new and old caravans are already preparing in the countries of the region take their way. And the massive caravan is the resource found migrants to overcome a journey fraught with danger, of vexation, repression and death in many cases.
A painful journey of defenseless small groups, who began trying to pass police checkpoints in southern Mexico and unbearable fetters of labor traffickers and bandits were different. Hell when coyotes advise women traveling provided with condoms, to prevent a likely violation ends in murder if they resist. The mass is then the method dictated that experience as the safest and which encouraged thousands to such a hard journey.
The role of governments
Trump pressures to cut financial aid, including Plan granted by the Alliance for Prosperity Central, They were unsuccessful. Jimy Morales of Guatemala ordered the National Police to deter migrants. Juan Orlando Hernandez of Honduras militarized border and threw him, in line with US officials, blame the party of ousted former President Zelaya. The President of El Salvador denounced Honduran migrants passing through their territory.
Mexico was Trump said: "Mexico must stop this onslaught and if unable to do so, I will call the US military and will close our southern border ". A sure sign that Peña Nieto launched their teams riot and tear gas on migrants. What then he had the corresponding appreciation of the US president: "Thank you, Mexico, We look forward to working with you!”.
The Mexican government traditionally combined the lack of protection for migrants that crossed its territory, in which they were victims of criminal gangs, the existence of security cordons controlling migratory flows in the southern states, Chiapas and Oaxaca fundamentally.
None of these measures succeeded in stopping the caravan, among other things because they were taken studs, against immigration surprised by how quickly grew in size and dimension.
Trump y la xenofobia
The crisis facing political regimes sinks traditional variants of "center" generating polarization effects. So xenophobic speeches like Trump or the Bolsonaro impact on sectors of the population desperate hardship that brings serious economic crisis, and they seek to find them a way out, the absence of clear alternatives Anticapitalistas.
That speech is used to further subjugate the cheap labor that makes the worst jobs in the US. There are states like Arizona where undocumented immigrants have the rank of criminals, which makes its operation even tougher for employers who employ thousands of.
This persecution and discrimination is not new. Obama he expelled 3 million illegal immigrants during his two terms. Trump has done nothing but deepen the footprint, also using it as a campaign speech against those who allegedly "They take jobs Americans" or pollute their lives with their "criminals". Eyes still hurt the images of children separated from their parents and children locked in cages true.
A policy that is complemented by deportations of immigrants living many years ago in the US and are abruptly separated from their families to be sent to their home countries. The number of deportations is rising year by year. For example, They were deported to Honduras 32.000 people around the 2017 and only in the first half of 2018 the figure rose to 36.500.
The Mexican government has been a complement to this policy has since deported tens of thousands of Central Americans to their countries in recent years. Now against the passage of the caravan different media they have attempted to manipulate the worst xenophobic prejudices of a sector of the Mexican population.
The resurgence of xenophobia and racism, It can only be explained by the terrible decline, by the systemic crisis of capitalism in its imperialist phase. The global economic crisis 2008 He brought as one of its consequences a brutal offensive against all workers and peoples of the world. Xenophobic bias currents use the well-off middle classes and large marginalized sectors, trying to download other workers and oppressed peoples to blame for the ills created by big capital and classes that make it up, behind a pseudo populist nationalist discourse.
Because, the fight for the most basic democratic freedoms and against racism, including the right of immigrants and minorities, It stands as a fundamental task of the peoples in their struggle against imperialist exploitation. Racism but may begin as a demonstration against poor people quickly spreads to all who do not share the imperialist model, as recently it happened with the slaughter in the synagogue in Pittsburgh, where the local population was mobilized to protest the visit Trump.
Which it appears strongly, and now in Brazil, is essential to the broadest unity of action to combat it and stop it before it is consolidated and that the democratic tasks revalue its importance in this period in which we live.
Migratory avalanches reflect the collapse of entire sectors on the planet under imperialist exploitation, crises and wars it generates. According to the UN the number of migrants worldwide rose from the 173 million early century 244 million in the 2015, without regard to 40 million displaced within their own countries.
Why migration as a phenomenon posed by humanitarian crises can not be resolved, ultimately, without a radical change of economic social model. A change for anti capitalism, socialist.
Support the caravan demanding that their rights be respected migration
The right to migrate horizon when looking for a better life of individuals or families is at stake is a democratic human right to the most basic.
The imperialist bourgeoisie, primarily responsible together with its local puppet governments impoverishment and degradation of societies of the countries exploited by it, It is cynical enough to take up protective of their workers "fellow countrymen" and try to address them migrant workers and peoples, who can not stand living conditions that the same imperial bourgeoisie created in their native countries.
More than ever then we must defend the right of the caravan to arrive at your destination. It is necessary to demand that the current government of Peña Nieto and the next to take on 1 December President-elect Lopez Obrador, do not put any repressive obstacle to the free movement of the caravan, and to assist it with food, medical assistance, temporary shelters and transportation, so they can reach their immediate destination in the US border.
In this sense it is essential to continue and improve the solidarity campaign different organizations of the Mexican people are already doing with the caravan, as the case of some civil organizations like "The matrons of Veracruz" and the various actions in academia Mexico City as the collection of migrant backpacks with clothes and food.
The same should be done against the "wall of Trump". More than ever the mobilization of workers' organizations, humanitarian, democratic, progressive and leftist, You must surround migrants and more solidarity caravan, measures facing xenophobic and racist who runs the world's greatest power, demanding to withdraw the military and repressive apparatus and let enter US territory thousands of claimants of asylum.
Gustavo Giménez
It is estimated that 60% It is below the poverty line.
This is the region with the highest crime rate in the world. San Pedro Sula is one of the cities with the highest murder rate in the world: 51,18 murders each 100.000 population.
reproduced from Anticapitalist Network
Nov 1, 2018
