New Caravan Bets on a Democratic Congress, but the Border Is Still Closed

A new migrant caravan is walking north through southern Mexico, and many in it say they are betting on last week's elections. The people who actually run America's border say that bet will not pay.

The Honduran-led caravan, which calls itself Dios con Nosotros, or God With Us, is in southern Mexico, according to Agence France-Presse and the Mexican newspaper El Universal, as reported by The National Pulse ^[1]. El Universal reported that more than 1,000 people reached Tapachula, in Chiapas state, on Sunday after entering Mexico at the Suchiate River border on Friday night, and that more than 500 walked on from Tapachula on Tuesday, with Haitian and Cuban migrants joining them, the Pulse reported ^[1].

Counts vary widely. Political.org reported that 300 to 500 people crossed the Rodolfo Robles International Bridge from Guatemala into Ciudad Hidalgo on Friday, November 6 ^[4]. The Daily Wire, citing CNN, put the group at roughly 2,000 ^[3]. Telemundo described hundreds of Hondurans and Salvadorans, from a woman pushing a baby in a stroller to a 73-year-old man ^[2].

What the migrants are saying

A 47-year-old Nicaraguan man told AFP he hoped the Democratic midterm win would give him another shot at reaching the United States, the Pulse reported ^[1]. Narciso Aparicio, a 73-year-old Salvadoran, told Telemundo the border has to open because Congress has changed ^[2]. Another man told AFP the U.S. offers better opportunities than his home country ^[1].

Telemundo's own headline described those hopes as false ^[2].

What the border officials are saying

Tom Homan, the White House border czar, said in a Fox News interview on Wednesday that federal authorities will not be giving "one inch," the Daily Wire reported ^[3]. He said caravan members will not be released and will be turned around or prosecuted ^[3]. The Department of Homeland Security said of an earlier caravan last month that it had absolutely no chance of entering, according to the Daily Wire and Political.org ^[3][4]. The State Department has announced visa actions against more than 15 people it said were involved in organizing caravans, the Daily Wire reported ^[3].

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has said deportations will continue, Telemundo reported ^[2].

Kathia Quirós, an immigration lawyer interviewed by Telemundo, said the border remains tightly closed and that people who reach it would be detained, processed and, in most cases, ordered deported ^[2]. She noted that border enforcement is controlled by the White House, not Congress ^[2]. AFP also reported that the border remains virtually closed, according to the Pulse ^[1].

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Mexico's role

Mexican authorities have often broken up caravans before they reach the U.S. border, Telemundo reported ^[2]. AFP reported that Mexico's National Guard, immigration officers and Chiapas state police blocked about 100 Central American migrants after they crossed the Suchiate River, and that about 40 were reportedly detained, though Mexican immigration authorities had not confirmed the detentions ^[1]. Earlier caravans that started in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, were dispersed at Arriaga, in Oaxaca state, the Pulse reported ^[1].

This is the third such group from Honduras since September, according to the Pulse ^[1]. Political.org reported that one caravan left San Pedro Sula on September 20 and grew to more than 600 people, and that another left Tapachula on October 20 with more than 600 ^[4].

Why it matters

Words have consequences at the border. For years, migrants, and the smugglers who profit from them, have listened closely to what Washington says. When the message is that the rules are about to loosen, families start walking and cartels start collecting fees. That is why Homan's message matters as much as any wall: the law has not changed, and the people charged with enforcing it say they will keep enforcing it.

The compassionate thing is to tell the truth before a mother pushes a stroller a thousand miles toward a door that will not open. Telemundo's reporting did exactly that ^[2].

What comes next

The new Congress takes office in January ^[2]. Some incoming and returning Democrats have signaled interest in reforms for people already living in the United States, such as Dreamers and former TPS holders, but Telemundo reported those measures would not apply to new arrivals ^[2]. In Texas, Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa has not said whether state police will keep working with federal immigration authorities, the Daily Wire reported ^[3]. For now, the caravan keeps walking, and Mexico's next move may decide how far it gets.