Migrant caravan from Central America

The Central American territory is going through a gigantic crisis. With this, we refer not only to the health crisis generated by the global coronavirus pandemic, but also because countries such as Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua felt the impact of several hurricanes in November 2020, during the Atlantic Hurricane Season, which worsened the economic crisis and increased the unemployment rate.

Therefore, thousands of affected families are looking for opportunities in other countries to protect their lives and find economic stability. For instance, on Friday, January 15, the first migrant caravan of 2021 left Honduras (to the US) with approximately 9,000 people, a fairly high number compared to other caravans.

They argue that local governments do not have resources to offer them social benefits or at least access to basic services in the midst of the current juncture and hope the Biden government will allow them to enter the US through humanitarian programs such as political asylum.

It is important to clarify that Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee, took office on January 20, 2021 and, unlike former President Trump, states that immigration is extremely positive for the country’s economy and the development and growth of local businesses. As a result, immigrant communities expect his government to deliver on promises regarding the US immigration system and expand available alternatives to the most vulnerable populations.

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The Biden government and Central American authorities sent a message to the caravan

When the migrant caravan arrived in Guatemala on Saturday, January 16, the Guatemalan authorities tried to stop it and managed to disperse most immigrants. Both Guatemala and Mexico state that it is imperative to stop the migrant caravan before they reach the US’ borders, not only because they are undocumented immigrants, but also because the massive outbreak of Coronavirus in the Central and North American territory could increase and worsen the sanitary emergency.

Adding to that, officials from the Biden government also sent a message to the migrant caravan, stating that it is not the right time for thousands of people to arrive at the US’ borders since, despite President Biden wanting to restructure the immigration system, changes will not happen overnight.

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Alejandro Mayorkas, the DHS secretary, comments on the migrant caravan

At the end of November 2020, the president-elect appointed Alejandro Mayorkas as the secretary of DHS (Department of Homeland Security), one of the entities most related to the immigration sector. In fact, Mayorkas had already been director of the USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services) during Obama’s term.

On Tuesday, January 19, 2021, a day before Biden took office, Mayorkas commented on the migrant caravan from Honduras. He stated that “there is a commitment to follow our asylum laws, to enforce our asylum laws, and that means to provide humanitarian relief to those individuals who qualify for it under the law (…) (But) That cannot be accomplished with just a flick of a switch and turned on day one, it will take time to build the infrastructure and capacity so we can enforce our laws as Congress intended.”

Follow the advice of experts during your immigration process

Now that the immigration system is likely to change under the Biden administration, it is imperative to seek reliable help from experts during your immigration journey, who are up to date with current policies and will be able to guide you towards the success of your application.

If you have any questions about an immigration issue or relating to a case you may have currently in progress, then please don’t hesitate to contact us for a FREE Phone Consultation with one of our expert immigration attorneys.

Simply call Motion Law today at: (202) 918-1799.