TOPSHOT – Migrants -mostly Hondurans- taking part in a caravan heading to the US, line up for food at an improvised shelter in an abandoned hotel, in Matias Romero, Oaxaca State, Mexico, on November 1, 2018. (Photo by GUILLERMO ARIAS/AFP/Getty Images)
On Thursday night, Latino Rebels received the following media release by CARECEN:
LOS ANGELES – As the caravan of Honduran and Central American refugees continues its march across the Mexico towards the United States, it has garnered worldwide attention both from sympathizers and anti-immigrant fanatics. While estimates say that the number of people have grown to more than 5,000 refugees, these numbers are slowly growing as a greater number have joined throughout the way. The Central American Resource Center in Los Angeles has issued the following statement:
“CARECEN was founded by refugees who walked the same path as those who are part of the so-called ‘migrant caravan.’ Thirty-five years ago, in the midst of the Salvadoran civil war, members of our community fled violence, poverty and political repression. Now, the world can see the faces of an ongoing crisis that Central America has faced for decades.
This crisis is rooted in decades of failed foreign policies towards the Northern Triangle, which have been the primary cause of economic destabilization, political crises, violence and as a result forced migration.
Migration is a natural human right that must be respected and dignified and in the face of extreme levels of criminalization and dehumanization towards the Central American community we must stand together. We demand an end to the criminalization of migrants and the respect of international right to migrate and seek refuge for all immigrants. We stand in solidarity towards the Central American refugees making this dangerous journey seeking safety.
While the Trump administration uses this as an opportunity to fuel white nationalist ideas, we must not fall into his trap. We reject his dangerous stunt of sending thousands of troops to the border, while continuing to criminalize refugees calling for immoral changes to U.S. asylum policies. We will not succumb to threats, or attempts to intimidate and divide our community. Many of us at CARECEN-LA come from families of refugees. We were once, and many continue to be, the men, women and children fleeing conditions of violence and insecurity.
Founded in 1983, CARECEN is the largest Central American immigrant rights organization in the country. CARECEN defends and protects the human and civil rights of the immigrant community.
