Why are members of the migrant caravan making a big deal out of it?











up vote
39
down vote

favorite
1












I'm from Mexico, and if I wanted to enter the United States, I can think of about 50 ways of doing it, and that's just off the top of my head.



So I wonder what the point of this migrant caravan thing is? What I mean is, if they wanted to enter the US, why not just ... do it? What's the point of actually warning the country whose border you are about to illegally cross? Doesn't that defeat the whole point?



I know that some of the migrants wanted to seek asylum, which makes total sense, since then the caravan even brings attention to their struggles. But the asylum seekers were a minority (like, 150 people out of 1000). Many just wanted to get into the US no matter what. In fact, once the caravan reached the border, the US already had soldiers stationed there, and some migrants where actually arrested trying to cross. I mean, what the hell did they expect? Why try to sneak into the country on one hand, but on the other hand also make a huge global event about your arrival to the border?



That's like me saying I'm going to rob a bank tomorrow, so today I am going to set up a caravan where me and my co-robbers are going to walk towards the bank with posters saying "HERE WE COME" and "YOUR MONEY IS OURS". It doesn't seem to compute.



TLDR: Why, in the world, did migrants who intented to illegally cross into the US join this Caravan-thingy? Why not use the many other and smarter ways to get in?










share|improve this question







New contributor




Frederic is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
















  • 33




    "What's the point of actually warning the country whose border you are about to illegally cross?" They mostly aren't illegally crossing. They're presenting themselves for asylum, which is a form of legal immigration. (Some may resort to illegal crossings if it takes too long; IIRC they're only accepting 100 applications a day currently.)
    – ceejayoz
    2 days ago








  • 17




    Can you provide a source for your numbers on asylum seekers you cited in your question?
    – Scribblemacher
    yesterday






  • 7




    @Chloe Let's not paint in broad strokes, just because someone is from South or Central America doesn't make them uneducated. Certainly there are those who are not (just like in any country), but we cannot eliminate those who are (including the leaders and organizers of the group). It may even be called manipulative to encourage such a large group of people to travel so far for what is essentially a publicity stunt, knowing full-well the majority will be barred entrance for a swath of reasons.
    – SnakeDoc
    yesterday








  • 11




    "But the asylum seekers were a minority (like, 150 people out of 1000)" - can you provide a source for this?
    – Gramatik
    yesterday






  • 4




    "I can think of about 50 ways of doing it" -- That sounds like an absurd exaggeration, even combining legal, illegal, and impractical methods.
    – JoL
    yesterday















up vote
39
down vote

favorite
1












I'm from Mexico, and if I wanted to enter the United States, I can think of about 50 ways of doing it, and that's just off the top of my head.



So I wonder what the point of this migrant caravan thing is? What I mean is, if they wanted to enter the US, why not just ... do it? What's the point of actually warning the country whose border you are about to illegally cross? Doesn't that defeat the whole point?



I know that some of the migrants wanted to seek asylum, which makes total sense, since then the caravan even brings attention to their struggles. But the asylum seekers were a minority (like, 150 people out of 1000). Many just wanted to get into the US no matter what. In fact, once the caravan reached the border, the US already had soldiers stationed there, and some migrants where actually arrested trying to cross. I mean, what the hell did they expect? Why try to sneak into the country on one hand, but on the other hand also make a huge global event about your arrival to the border?



That's like me saying I'm going to rob a bank tomorrow, so today I am going to set up a caravan where me and my co-robbers are going to walk towards the bank with posters saying "HERE WE COME" and "YOUR MONEY IS OURS". It doesn't seem to compute.



TLDR: Why, in the world, did migrants who intented to illegally cross into the US join this Caravan-thingy? Why not use the many other and smarter ways to get in?










share|improve this question







New contributor




Frederic is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
















  • 33




    "What's the point of actually warning the country whose border you are about to illegally cross?" They mostly aren't illegally crossing. They're presenting themselves for asylum, which is a form of legal immigration. (Some may resort to illegal crossings if it takes too long; IIRC they're only accepting 100 applications a day currently.)
    – ceejayoz
    2 days ago








  • 17




    Can you provide a source for your numbers on asylum seekers you cited in your question?
    – Scribblemacher
    yesterday






  • 7




    @Chloe Let's not paint in broad strokes, just because someone is from South or Central America doesn't make them uneducated. Certainly there are those who are not (just like in any country), but we cannot eliminate those who are (including the leaders and organizers of the group). It may even be called manipulative to encourage such a large group of people to travel so far for what is essentially a publicity stunt, knowing full-well the majority will be barred entrance for a swath of reasons.
    – SnakeDoc
    yesterday








  • 11




    "But the asylum seekers were a minority (like, 150 people out of 1000)" - can you provide a source for this?
    – Gramatik
    yesterday






  • 4




    "I can think of about 50 ways of doing it" -- That sounds like an absurd exaggeration, even combining legal, illegal, and impractical methods.
    – JoL
    yesterday













up vote
39
down vote

favorite
1









up vote
39
down vote

favorite
1






1





I'm from Mexico, and if I wanted to enter the United States, I can think of about 50 ways of doing it, and that's just off the top of my head.



So I wonder what the point of this migrant caravan thing is? What I mean is, if they wanted to enter the US, why not just ... do it? What's the point of actually warning the country whose border you are about to illegally cross? Doesn't that defeat the whole point?



I know that some of the migrants wanted to seek asylum, which makes total sense, since then the caravan even brings attention to their struggles. But the asylum seekers were a minority (like, 150 people out of 1000). Many just wanted to get into the US no matter what. In fact, once the caravan reached the border, the US already had soldiers stationed there, and some migrants where actually arrested trying to cross. I mean, what the hell did they expect? Why try to sneak into the country on one hand, but on the other hand also make a huge global event about your arrival to the border?



That's like me saying I'm going to rob a bank tomorrow, so today I am going to set up a caravan where me and my co-robbers are going to walk towards the bank with posters saying "HERE WE COME" and "YOUR MONEY IS OURS". It doesn't seem to compute.



TLDR: Why, in the world, did migrants who intented to illegally cross into the US join this Caravan-thingy? Why not use the many other and smarter ways to get in?










share|improve this question







New contributor




Frederic is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











I'm from Mexico, and if I wanted to enter the United States, I can think of about 50 ways of doing it, and that's just off the top of my head.



So I wonder what the point of this migrant caravan thing is? What I mean is, if they wanted to enter the US, why not just ... do it? What's the point of actually warning the country whose border you are about to illegally cross? Doesn't that defeat the whole point?



I know that some of the migrants wanted to seek asylum, which makes total sense, since then the caravan even brings attention to their struggles. But the asylum seekers were a minority (like, 150 people out of 1000). Many just wanted to get into the US no matter what. In fact, once the caravan reached the border, the US already had soldiers stationed there, and some migrants where actually arrested trying to cross. I mean, what the hell did they expect? Why try to sneak into the country on one hand, but on the other hand also make a huge global event about your arrival to the border?



That's like me saying I'm going to rob a bank tomorrow, so today I am going to set up a caravan where me and my co-robbers are going to walk towards the bank with posters saying "HERE WE COME" and "YOUR MONEY IS OURS". It doesn't seem to compute.



TLDR: Why, in the world, did migrants who intented to illegally cross into the US join this Caravan-thingy? Why not use the many other and smarter ways to get in?







illegal-immigration






share|improve this question







New contributor




Frederic is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











share|improve this question







New contributor




Frederic is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









share|improve this question




share|improve this question






New contributor




Frederic is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









asked 2 days ago









Frederic

31746




31746




New contributor




Frederic is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.





New contributor





Frederic is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






Frederic is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.








  • 33




    "What's the point of actually warning the country whose border you are about to illegally cross?" They mostly aren't illegally crossing. They're presenting themselves for asylum, which is a form of legal immigration. (Some may resort to illegal crossings if it takes too long; IIRC they're only accepting 100 applications a day currently.)
    – ceejayoz
    2 days ago








  • 17




    Can you provide a source for your numbers on asylum seekers you cited in your question?
    – Scribblemacher
    yesterday






  • 7




    @Chloe Let's not paint in broad strokes, just because someone is from South or Central America doesn't make them uneducated. Certainly there are those who are not (just like in any country), but we cannot eliminate those who are (including the leaders and organizers of the group). It may even be called manipulative to encourage such a large group of people to travel so far for what is essentially a publicity stunt, knowing full-well the majority will be barred entrance for a swath of reasons.
    – SnakeDoc
    yesterday








  • 11




    "But the asylum seekers were a minority (like, 150 people out of 1000)" - can you provide a source for this?
    – Gramatik
    yesterday






  • 4




    "I can think of about 50 ways of doing it" -- That sounds like an absurd exaggeration, even combining legal, illegal, and impractical methods.
    – JoL
    yesterday














  • 33




    "What's the point of actually warning the country whose border you are about to illegally cross?" They mostly aren't illegally crossing. They're presenting themselves for asylum, which is a form of legal immigration. (Some may resort to illegal crossings if it takes too long; IIRC they're only accepting 100 applications a day currently.)
    – ceejayoz
    2 days ago








  • 17




    Can you provide a source for your numbers on asylum seekers you cited in your question?
    – Scribblemacher
    yesterday






  • 7




    @Chloe Let's not paint in broad strokes, just because someone is from South or Central America doesn't make them uneducated. Certainly there are those who are not (just like in any country), but we cannot eliminate those who are (including the leaders and organizers of the group). It may even be called manipulative to encourage such a large group of people to travel so far for what is essentially a publicity stunt, knowing full-well the majority will be barred entrance for a swath of reasons.
    – SnakeDoc
    yesterday








  • 11




    "But the asylum seekers were a minority (like, 150 people out of 1000)" - can you provide a source for this?
    – Gramatik
    yesterday






  • 4




    "I can think of about 50 ways of doing it" -- That sounds like an absurd exaggeration, even combining legal, illegal, and impractical methods.
    – JoL
    yesterday








33




33




"What's the point of actually warning the country whose border you are about to illegally cross?" They mostly aren't illegally crossing. They're presenting themselves for asylum, which is a form of legal immigration. (Some may resort to illegal crossings if it takes too long; IIRC they're only accepting 100 applications a day currently.)
– ceejayoz
2 days ago






"What's the point of actually warning the country whose border you are about to illegally cross?" They mostly aren't illegally crossing. They're presenting themselves for asylum, which is a form of legal immigration. (Some may resort to illegal crossings if it takes too long; IIRC they're only accepting 100 applications a day currently.)
– ceejayoz
2 days ago






17




17




Can you provide a source for your numbers on asylum seekers you cited in your question?
– Scribblemacher
yesterday




Can you provide a source for your numbers on asylum seekers you cited in your question?
– Scribblemacher
yesterday




7




7




@Chloe Let's not paint in broad strokes, just because someone is from South or Central America doesn't make them uneducated. Certainly there are those who are not (just like in any country), but we cannot eliminate those who are (including the leaders and organizers of the group). It may even be called manipulative to encourage such a large group of people to travel so far for what is essentially a publicity stunt, knowing full-well the majority will be barred entrance for a swath of reasons.
– SnakeDoc
yesterday






@Chloe Let's not paint in broad strokes, just because someone is from South or Central America doesn't make them uneducated. Certainly there are those who are not (just like in any country), but we cannot eliminate those who are (including the leaders and organizers of the group). It may even be called manipulative to encourage such a large group of people to travel so far for what is essentially a publicity stunt, knowing full-well the majority will be barred entrance for a swath of reasons.
– SnakeDoc
yesterday






11




11




"But the asylum seekers were a minority (like, 150 people out of 1000)" - can you provide a source for this?
– Gramatik
yesterday




"But the asylum seekers were a minority (like, 150 people out of 1000)" - can you provide a source for this?
– Gramatik
yesterday




4




4




"I can think of about 50 ways of doing it" -- That sounds like an absurd exaggeration, even combining legal, illegal, and impractical methods.
– JoL
yesterday




"I can think of about 50 ways of doing it" -- That sounds like an absurd exaggeration, even combining legal, illegal, and impractical methods.
– JoL
yesterday










1 Answer
1






active

oldest

votes

















up vote
69
down vote














  • Refugees and illegal migrants moving through central America and Mexico are exploited and abused by criminal gangs. Some members of the caravan thought that going together would provide some degree of protection because of the publicity.

  • Ideally, the members of the caravan want refugee status in the US, not illegal entry. Again, going together brings publicity and thus an increased chance of getting that hearing. (The chance of a successful outcome is slim with the current administration, but no worse than going alone.)

  • Some might have hoped to form a sufficiently large group that humanitarian concerns force the various governments' hands, just as the conditions in the Budapest Railway Station prompted Germany to process these refugees.






share|improve this answer

















  • 6




    "The chance of a successful outcome is slim with the current administration, but no worse than going alone." Unless, of course, the publicity results in a series of executive orders increasing border guards at the locations where the caravan was likely to cross, limiting the number of asylum applications that would be accepted at legal crossings, and denying all asylum applications from illegal crossings. (All of those things happened, though the last is currently in court limbo.)
    – reirab
    yesterday






  • 1




    @reirab I don't think the increase of border guards should matter if their intent is applying for asylum. Also, this is the first I hear that asylum applications are being limited. They're processing 100 a day which sounds like way more than they're probably accustomed to normally process. I think that's just how many they're able to handle.
    – JoL
    yesterday












  • I think another plausible explanation (not mutually exclusive with the others) is that the migrants were organized and encouraged to do this as a challenge to US sovereignty. Several of the governments of the countries the caravan has passed through would be sympathetic to such a thing.
    – Ben Collins
    11 hours ago










  • @BenCollins, genuinely challenging US sovereignty would be beyond any or all Central American countries, even if they'd like to see the US taken down a peg or two (as e.g. Venezuela would). The only one with the will and power to challenge the US is China, since the EU lacks the necessary coherence and Russia lacks the necessary power.
    – o.m.
    9 hours ago










  • @o.m. I strongly disagree. "Challenging sovereignty" is not an all-out war, or even necessarily violent. The point is to poke and prod and see if the US has the political will to enforce its sovereignty. Immigration politics provide a convenient wedge for doing exactly this.
    – Ben Collins
    9 hours ago











Your Answer








StackExchange.ready(function() {
var channelOptions = {
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "475"
};
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
createEditor();
});
}
else {
createEditor();
}
});

function createEditor() {
StackExchange.prepareEditor({
heartbeatType: 'answer',
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader: {
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
},
noCode: true, onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
});


}
});






Frederic is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.










 

draft saved


draft discarded


















StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fpolitics.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f35605%2fwhy-are-members-of-the-migrant-caravan-making-a-big-deal-out-of-it%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);

Post as a guest















Required, but never shown

























1 Answer
1






active

oldest

votes








1 Answer
1






active

oldest

votes









active

oldest

votes






active

oldest

votes








up vote
69
down vote














  • Refugees and illegal migrants moving through central America and Mexico are exploited and abused by criminal gangs. Some members of the caravan thought that going together would provide some degree of protection because of the publicity.

  • Ideally, the members of the caravan want refugee status in the US, not illegal entry. Again, going together brings publicity and thus an increased chance of getting that hearing. (The chance of a successful outcome is slim with the current administration, but no worse than going alone.)

  • Some might have hoped to form a sufficiently large group that humanitarian concerns force the various governments' hands, just as the conditions in the Budapest Railway Station prompted Germany to process these refugees.






share|improve this answer

















  • 6




    "The chance of a successful outcome is slim with the current administration, but no worse than going alone." Unless, of course, the publicity results in a series of executive orders increasing border guards at the locations where the caravan was likely to cross, limiting the number of asylum applications that would be accepted at legal crossings, and denying all asylum applications from illegal crossings. (All of those things happened, though the last is currently in court limbo.)
    – reirab
    yesterday






  • 1




    @reirab I don't think the increase of border guards should matter if their intent is applying for asylum. Also, this is the first I hear that asylum applications are being limited. They're processing 100 a day which sounds like way more than they're probably accustomed to normally process. I think that's just how many they're able to handle.
    – JoL
    yesterday












  • I think another plausible explanation (not mutually exclusive with the others) is that the migrants were organized and encouraged to do this as a challenge to US sovereignty. Several of the governments of the countries the caravan has passed through would be sympathetic to such a thing.
    – Ben Collins
    11 hours ago










  • @BenCollins, genuinely challenging US sovereignty would be beyond any or all Central American countries, even if they'd like to see the US taken down a peg or two (as e.g. Venezuela would). The only one with the will and power to challenge the US is China, since the EU lacks the necessary coherence and Russia lacks the necessary power.
    – o.m.
    9 hours ago










  • @o.m. I strongly disagree. "Challenging sovereignty" is not an all-out war, or even necessarily violent. The point is to poke and prod and see if the US has the political will to enforce its sovereignty. Immigration politics provide a convenient wedge for doing exactly this.
    – Ben Collins
    9 hours ago















up vote
69
down vote














  • Refugees and illegal migrants moving through central America and Mexico are exploited and abused by criminal gangs. Some members of the caravan thought that going together would provide some degree of protection because of the publicity.

  • Ideally, the members of the caravan want refugee status in the US, not illegal entry. Again, going together brings publicity and thus an increased chance of getting that hearing. (The chance of a successful outcome is slim with the current administration, but no worse than going alone.)

  • Some might have hoped to form a sufficiently large group that humanitarian concerns force the various governments' hands, just as the conditions in the Budapest Railway Station prompted Germany to process these refugees.






share|improve this answer

















  • 6




    "The chance of a successful outcome is slim with the current administration, but no worse than going alone." Unless, of course, the publicity results in a series of executive orders increasing border guards at the locations where the caravan was likely to cross, limiting the number of asylum applications that would be accepted at legal crossings, and denying all asylum applications from illegal crossings. (All of those things happened, though the last is currently in court limbo.)
    – reirab
    yesterday






  • 1




    @reirab I don't think the increase of border guards should matter if their intent is applying for asylum. Also, this is the first I hear that asylum applications are being limited. They're processing 100 a day which sounds like way more than they're probably accustomed to normally process. I think that's just how many they're able to handle.
    – JoL
    yesterday












  • I think another plausible explanation (not mutually exclusive with the others) is that the migrants were organized and encouraged to do this as a challenge to US sovereignty. Several of the governments of the countries the caravan has passed through would be sympathetic to such a thing.
    – Ben Collins
    11 hours ago










  • @BenCollins, genuinely challenging US sovereignty would be beyond any or all Central American countries, even if they'd like to see the US taken down a peg or two (as e.g. Venezuela would). The only one with the will and power to challenge the US is China, since the EU lacks the necessary coherence and Russia lacks the necessary power.
    – o.m.
    9 hours ago










  • @o.m. I strongly disagree. "Challenging sovereignty" is not an all-out war, or even necessarily violent. The point is to poke and prod and see if the US has the political will to enforce its sovereignty. Immigration politics provide a convenient wedge for doing exactly this.
    – Ben Collins
    9 hours ago













up vote
69
down vote










up vote
69
down vote










  • Refugees and illegal migrants moving through central America and Mexico are exploited and abused by criminal gangs. Some members of the caravan thought that going together would provide some degree of protection because of the publicity.

  • Ideally, the members of the caravan want refugee status in the US, not illegal entry. Again, going together brings publicity and thus an increased chance of getting that hearing. (The chance of a successful outcome is slim with the current administration, but no worse than going alone.)

  • Some might have hoped to form a sufficiently large group that humanitarian concerns force the various governments' hands, just as the conditions in the Budapest Railway Station prompted Germany to process these refugees.






share|improve this answer













  • Refugees and illegal migrants moving through central America and Mexico are exploited and abused by criminal gangs. Some members of the caravan thought that going together would provide some degree of protection because of the publicity.

  • Ideally, the members of the caravan want refugee status in the US, not illegal entry. Again, going together brings publicity and thus an increased chance of getting that hearing. (The chance of a successful outcome is slim with the current administration, but no worse than going alone.)

  • Some might have hoped to form a sufficiently large group that humanitarian concerns force the various governments' hands, just as the conditions in the Budapest Railway Station prompted Germany to process these refugees.







share|improve this answer












share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer










answered 2 days ago









o.m.

4,4381614




4,4381614








  • 6




    "The chance of a successful outcome is slim with the current administration, but no worse than going alone." Unless, of course, the publicity results in a series of executive orders increasing border guards at the locations where the caravan was likely to cross, limiting the number of asylum applications that would be accepted at legal crossings, and denying all asylum applications from illegal crossings. (All of those things happened, though the last is currently in court limbo.)
    – reirab
    yesterday






  • 1




    @reirab I don't think the increase of border guards should matter if their intent is applying for asylum. Also, this is the first I hear that asylum applications are being limited. They're processing 100 a day which sounds like way more than they're probably accustomed to normally process. I think that's just how many they're able to handle.
    – JoL
    yesterday












  • I think another plausible explanation (not mutually exclusive with the others) is that the migrants were organized and encouraged to do this as a challenge to US sovereignty. Several of the governments of the countries the caravan has passed through would be sympathetic to such a thing.
    – Ben Collins
    11 hours ago










  • @BenCollins, genuinely challenging US sovereignty would be beyond any or all Central American countries, even if they'd like to see the US taken down a peg or two (as e.g. Venezuela would). The only one with the will and power to challenge the US is China, since the EU lacks the necessary coherence and Russia lacks the necessary power.
    – o.m.
    9 hours ago










  • @o.m. I strongly disagree. "Challenging sovereignty" is not an all-out war, or even necessarily violent. The point is to poke and prod and see if the US has the political will to enforce its sovereignty. Immigration politics provide a convenient wedge for doing exactly this.
    – Ben Collins
    9 hours ago














  • 6




    "The chance of a successful outcome is slim with the current administration, but no worse than going alone." Unless, of course, the publicity results in a series of executive orders increasing border guards at the locations where the caravan was likely to cross, limiting the number of asylum applications that would be accepted at legal crossings, and denying all asylum applications from illegal crossings. (All of those things happened, though the last is currently in court limbo.)
    – reirab
    yesterday






  • 1




    @reirab I don't think the increase of border guards should matter if their intent is applying for asylum. Also, this is the first I hear that asylum applications are being limited. They're processing 100 a day which sounds like way more than they're probably accustomed to normally process. I think that's just how many they're able to handle.
    – JoL
    yesterday












  • I think another plausible explanation (not mutually exclusive with the others) is that the migrants were organized and encouraged to do this as a challenge to US sovereignty. Several of the governments of the countries the caravan has passed through would be sympathetic to such a thing.
    – Ben Collins
    11 hours ago










  • @BenCollins, genuinely challenging US sovereignty would be beyond any or all Central American countries, even if they'd like to see the US taken down a peg or two (as e.g. Venezuela would). The only one with the will and power to challenge the US is China, since the EU lacks the necessary coherence and Russia lacks the necessary power.
    – o.m.
    9 hours ago










  • @o.m. I strongly disagree. "Challenging sovereignty" is not an all-out war, or even necessarily violent. The point is to poke and prod and see if the US has the political will to enforce its sovereignty. Immigration politics provide a convenient wedge for doing exactly this.
    – Ben Collins
    9 hours ago








6




6




"The chance of a successful outcome is slim with the current administration, but no worse than going alone." Unless, of course, the publicity results in a series of executive orders increasing border guards at the locations where the caravan was likely to cross, limiting the number of asylum applications that would be accepted at legal crossings, and denying all asylum applications from illegal crossings. (All of those things happened, though the last is currently in court limbo.)
– reirab
yesterday




"The chance of a successful outcome is slim with the current administration, but no worse than going alone." Unless, of course, the publicity results in a series of executive orders increasing border guards at the locations where the caravan was likely to cross, limiting the number of asylum applications that would be accepted at legal crossings, and denying all asylum applications from illegal crossings. (All of those things happened, though the last is currently in court limbo.)
– reirab
yesterday




1




1




@reirab I don't think the increase of border guards should matter if their intent is applying for asylum. Also, this is the first I hear that asylum applications are being limited. They're processing 100 a day which sounds like way more than they're probably accustomed to normally process. I think that's just how many they're able to handle.
– JoL
yesterday






@reirab I don't think the increase of border guards should matter if their intent is applying for asylum. Also, this is the first I hear that asylum applications are being limited. They're processing 100 a day which sounds like way more than they're probably accustomed to normally process. I think that's just how many they're able to handle.
– JoL
yesterday














I think another plausible explanation (not mutually exclusive with the others) is that the migrants were organized and encouraged to do this as a challenge to US sovereignty. Several of the governments of the countries the caravan has passed through would be sympathetic to such a thing.
– Ben Collins
11 hours ago




I think another plausible explanation (not mutually exclusive with the others) is that the migrants were organized and encouraged to do this as a challenge to US sovereignty. Several of the governments of the countries the caravan has passed through would be sympathetic to such a thing.
– Ben Collins
11 hours ago












@BenCollins, genuinely challenging US sovereignty would be beyond any or all Central American countries, even if they'd like to see the US taken down a peg or two (as e.g. Venezuela would). The only one with the will and power to challenge the US is China, since the EU lacks the necessary coherence and Russia lacks the necessary power.
– o.m.
9 hours ago




@BenCollins, genuinely challenging US sovereignty would be beyond any or all Central American countries, even if they'd like to see the US taken down a peg or two (as e.g. Venezuela would). The only one with the will and power to challenge the US is China, since the EU lacks the necessary coherence and Russia lacks the necessary power.
– o.m.
9 hours ago












@o.m. I strongly disagree. "Challenging sovereignty" is not an all-out war, or even necessarily violent. The point is to poke and prod and see if the US has the political will to enforce its sovereignty. Immigration politics provide a convenient wedge for doing exactly this.
– Ben Collins
9 hours ago




@o.m. I strongly disagree. "Challenging sovereignty" is not an all-out war, or even necessarily violent. The point is to poke and prod and see if the US has the political will to enforce its sovereignty. Immigration politics provide a convenient wedge for doing exactly this.
– Ben Collins
9 hours ago










Frederic is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.










 

draft saved


draft discarded


















Frederic is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.













Frederic is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.












Frederic is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.















 


draft saved


draft discarded














StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fpolitics.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f35605%2fwhy-are-members-of-the-migrant-caravan-making-a-big-deal-out-of-it%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);

Post as a guest















Required, but never shown





















































Required, but never shown














Required, but never shown












Required, but never shown







Required, but never shown

































Required, but never shown














Required, but never shown












Required, but never shown







Required, but never shown







Popular posts from this blog

Ellipse (mathématiques)

Quarter-circle Tiles

Mont Emei