Honduran Caravan
With the issue of the Honduran Caravan, the US is getting more involved now even though this issue has been going on for years. First, we should talk about why the Hondurans are leaving and leaving in such big groups. Honduras is one of the least developed and most unstable country in Central America. Gang violence, drug wars, extortion (muggings), and poverty are very common in this country. They are also famous for having the world’s highest murder rate per capita. In 2017, 3,866 people were murdered in Honduras which averages about 11 people per day. This rate is so high that it is 8 times higher than the murder rate in the US and is significantly higher than the rest of the global averages. The reason for this is because the gangs will usually take over neighborhoods and will charge the residents money for “security”. The only problem with this is that the gangs are asking for so much money compared to the average resident’s salary. Some of the residents will work for a little over a dollar a day so when a gang member comes to their door to collect the money for “security”, they won’t have it. This usually causes the resident to lose their house due to the gang either taking it or burning it down. Because of these issues, you can see why Hondurans would want to leave and go to a new place like the US.
Caravans like this one have been going for years but President Trump has brought it to the attention to the media which is why it is a bigger deal now than it used to be. President Trump does not want the migrants to come to the US because he thinks that the migrants are “threatening American sovereignty”. I personally think that because of such harsh conditions and constant fear that the Hondurans live in, I don’t think that they should not be admitted into the US. If they try to cross over illegally though, than actions should take place but if they just want to get in and are willing to do any job and abide by US laws and try to get in legally, I say let them in. I don’t want to bash the President in any way, I am just putting my opinion out there. President Trump has also threatened and has cut off aid to Honduras to try and make them stop the caravan. I think in some aspects this is a good idea but there are also some negatives. Let’s look at this at a different angle. Let’s say you have a child that misbehaves. Most likely, you wouldn’t reward them for their bad behavior because you don’t want them to misbehave like that again but you still need to help them out. You have to teach them to not do that and sometimes taking away everything from them isn’t the answer. I can see where President Trump is coming from in this situation but Honduras is one of the least developed countries in Central America and they need help. So it’s like you wouldn’t give a child a cookie if they were bad but you still have to feed them. Honduras needs “food” because without the aid from the US, conditions could get worse.
The Hondurans are still being optimistic even though it is hard for them to get into the US. One of the Hondurans on the caravan said, “We’re used to it. Even our own president doesn’t want us.” They won’t give up on their dreams. There is a saying around the caravan that is, “I’d rather die chasing my dreams than give up on them.” Just because of this saying, the Hondurans keep pushing on and more and more people keep joining. The caravan has tens of thousands of people and is still growing. This is because the people are filled with hope for a better life and a better future for their children. Lots of the caravaners are children which is, “creating anxiety for Trump administration” (NBC News). The reason for this is because children are afforded special protections in the US. The US has some rules about crossing the border illegally that can help out some of the caravaners. One of the rules is that if anyone seeking refuge or an asylum crosses the border illegally, they can still have a hearing for why they crossed over which can lead to either them staying in the US or them getting deported back into Central America. If you cross over illegally and just want a better life, you don’t get that opportunity. Now Mexico’s president has seen how many people are on this caravan and how bad they want to get into the US so now he is changing his mind about the issue. At first he wouldn’t let them into the country if they were trying to cross the border between Mexico and Guatemala but now he has changed. He said that anyone wanting to stay in Mexico would be welcome to and offered jobs if they agreed to register and comply with Mexican laws. According to the latest stats, at least 7,000 Hondurans have turned back to return to their homes and families because their journey has been so hard. The journey is very long and hard consisting of a trek of at least 1,000 miles. The reason why they are in such a big group is for security from the dangers that are on the journey such as extortion and rape. The journey is very hard but a lot of people are still holding on to their hope and are still chasing their dreams.
I think that it is good to know about issues like these but I wish some things about it were handled differently. Again, I don’t want to bash the President in any way but I think he should let them in if they just want a better life and are willing to abide by US laws and willing to work and do anything. I think it would help out the US because after all, we are a melting pot right? Shouldn’t we let people in that want to a part of this great nation and just want to help out? I think we should, but again this is a tricky issue and one that is worth knowing.
With the issue of the Honduran Caravan, the US is getting more involved now even though this issue has been going on for years. First, we should talk about why the Hondurans are leaving and leaving in such big groups. Honduras is one of the least developed and most unstable country in Central America. Gang violence, drug wars, extortion (muggings), and poverty are very common in this country. They are also famous for having the world’s highest murder rate per capita. In 2017, 3,866 people were murdered in Honduras which averages about 11 people per day. This rate is so high that it is 8 times higher than the murder rate in the US and is significantly higher than the rest of the global averages. The reason for this is because the gangs will usually take over neighborhoods and will charge the residents money for “security”. The only problem with this is that the gangs are asking for so much money compared to the average resident’s salary. Some of the residents will work for a little over a dollar a day so when a gang member comes to their door to collect the money for “security”, they won’t have it. This usually causes the resident to lose their house due to the gang either taking it or burning it down. Because of these issues, you can see why Hondurans would want to leave and go to a new place like the US.
Caravans like this one have been going for years but President Trump has brought it to the attention to the media which is why it is a bigger deal now than it used to be. President Trump does not want the migrants to come to the US because he thinks that the migrants are “threatening American sovereignty”. I personally think that because of such harsh conditions and constant fear that the Hondurans live in, I don’t think that they should not be admitted into the US. If they try to cross over illegally though, than actions should take place but if they just want to get in and are willing to do any job and abide by US laws and try to get in legally, I say let them in. I don’t want to bash the President in any way, I am just putting my opinion out there. President Trump has also threatened and has cut off aid to Honduras to try and make them stop the caravan. I think in some aspects this is a good idea but there are also some negatives. Let’s look at this at a different angle. Let’s say you have a child that misbehaves. Most likely, you wouldn’t reward them for their bad behavior because you don’t want them to misbehave like that again but you still need to help them out. You have to teach them to not do that and sometimes taking away everything from them isn’t the answer. I can see where President Trump is coming from in this situation but Honduras is one of the least developed countries in Central America and they need help. So it’s like you wouldn’t give a child a cookie if they were bad but you still have to feed them. Honduras needs “food” because without the aid from the US, conditions could get worse.
The Hondurans are still being optimistic even though it is hard for them to get into the US. One of the Hondurans on the caravan said, “We’re used to it. Even our own president doesn’t want us.” They won’t give up on their dreams. There is a saying around the caravan that is, “I’d rather die chasing my dreams than give up on them.” Just because of this saying, the Hondurans keep pushing on and more and more people keep joining. The caravan has tens of thousands of people and is still growing. This is because the people are filled with hope for a better life and a better future for their children. Lots of the caravaners are children which is, “creating anxiety for Trump administration” (NBC News). The reason for this is because children are afforded special protections in the US. The US has some rules about crossing the border illegally that can help out some of the caravaners. One of the rules is that if anyone seeking refuge or an asylum crosses the border illegally, they can still have a hearing for why they crossed over which can lead to either them staying in the US or them getting deported back into Central America. If you cross over illegally and just want a better life, you don’t get that opportunity. Now Mexico’s president has seen how many people are on this caravan and how bad they want to get into the US so now he is changing his mind about the issue. At first he wouldn’t let them into the country if they were trying to cross the border between Mexico and Guatemala but now he has changed. He said that anyone wanting to stay in Mexico would be welcome to and offered jobs if they agreed to register and comply with Mexican laws. According to the latest stats, at least 7,000 Hondurans have turned back to return to their homes and families because their journey has been so hard. The journey is very long and hard consisting of a trek of at least 1,000 miles. The reason why they are in such a big group is for security from the dangers that are on the journey such as extortion and rape. The journey is very hard but a lot of people are still holding on to their hope and are still chasing their dreams.
I think that it is good to know about issues like these but I wish some things about it were handled differently. Again, I don’t want to bash the President in any way but I think he should let them in if they just want a better life and are willing to abide by US laws and willing to work and do anything. I think it would help out the US because after all, we are a melting pot right? Shouldn’t we let people in that want to a part of this great nation and just want to help out? I think we should, but again this is a tricky issue and one that is worth knowing.
I like how you included quotes of the people in the caravans to help the reader try to empathize with them
ReplyDeleteYou did a good job showing detailed evidence and I liked the quotes you included. This was very interesting and shows an immigrants side to the story.
ReplyDeleteWell done, you put the whole caravan situation in a good perspective. You also explained both perspectives of how Trump is handling this problem very well.
ReplyDeleteI like how you explore both sides and thought processes of why or why not the US should allow these refugees into its borders, and how ultimately, you use empathy and your own sense of morality to explain that you think these refugees should be admitted into the US for their own safety and wellbeing.
ReplyDeleteI like how you used the analogy for Honduras as a child, it really helped me to understand what you meant. I also like how you put out your own opinion on the topic, which lets the reader know that there are many different opinions out there about the crisis. Great essay.
ReplyDeleteNice quotes, good just showing evidence
ReplyDelete