Florida residents may be aware that President Trump took to Twitter recently to vent his ire about what is described as a caravan of at least 200 immigrants from Central America that is currently passing through Mexico on its way to the United States. The immigrants are fleeing violence and unrest in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador and plan to seek asylum when they reach the U.S. border. Reports indicate that the caravan reached Mexico City on April 9 and its numbers have swelled considerably.
The immigrants understand that seeking asylum will be a difficult process. A Honduran man told reporters that he fled his home country with his wife and three children after a close relative was murdered by a gang, but he concedes that he has little in the way of proof to back up his story. The caravan is being organized by the transnational advocacy group Pueblo Sin Fronteras.
President Trump has been critical of both the organizers and the Mexican government. He has accused Mexico in the past of encouraging its citizens to enter the United States illegally, and he now says that Mexican authorities are not doing enough to stop the immigrant caravan. Many of the immigrants say that they plan to remain in Mexico if their petitions for asylum are unsuccessful.
Immigrants who lack evidence that supports their accounts of violence or oppression in their home countries may find it difficult to convince immigration authorities that they deserve to be granted asylum in the United States. Attorneys with experience in this area could seek to gather the evidence needed by scrutinizing media accounts of violence and persecution from reliable sources and analyzing data from charities and human rights organizations as well as official bodies like the United Nations. Immigration attorneys could also raise asylum as a defense when immigrants are facing deportation.
Source: Reuters, “Some 200 migrants in Mexico caravan to seek U.S. asylum: organizers”, Delphine Schrank, April 9, 2018
