By Nolan Whitmore ’20
On October 19th, a group of over 8,000 migrants from Central America walked thousands of miles to the border between Guatemala and Mexico to seek safety from violence and drug trafficking. This large group of migrants from Honduras and Guatemala are now in the hundreds and still hope to seek asylum in the United States.
This has become more than an immigration problem, it is now a humanitarian crisis for migrants lacking Proper food, water, shelter and clothing.
It is easy to get caught up in the politics of immigration, but when we do this, immigrant families end up being caught in the crossfire. It’s important to remember that these migrants are people, and still have basic rights.
On the news you may have seen the use of tear gas to push the migrants away form the United States border. This is nothing new and has been a tactic that even the Obama administration used when large groups of people threatened to illegally cross the United States border. However, for a group of people this large to be ignored by the United States government with no plan to at least aid the immigrants, is something that should not go unnoticed.
These people deserve help regardless of the situation at hand. It doesn’t need to be asylum, but as humans, it is our duty to at least acknowledge and put forth effort into background checking and vetting the migrants and aiding them in their basic needs.
You can show support for the migrants by donating to the San Diego Rapid Response Network that helps immigrants and migrants get proper food, water, and clothing.
For those interested, view this link to track the progress and history of the caravan.