On February 15, the Embassy of Mexico in Guatemala posted a tweet announcing the Government of Mexico would not allow migrant caravans to enter, saying, “Mexico does not promote, nor allow the irregular entry of migrant caravans into national territory.” (Translated from Spanish to English.)
Mexico’s warning follows information from Guatemalan intelligence sources of a tentative U.S.-bound migrant caravan possibly originating from Honduras. Last week, the Government of Guatemala held a meeting between immigration, law enforcement, and intelligence agency heads to address the possible caravan.
According to a spokesperson for the Guatemalan Migration Institute, nationals from El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua are permitted to enter Guatemala per the Central America-4 Free Mobility Agreement. However, citizens of those countries must have a valid form of identification or a passport, as well as proof of a negative COVID-19 test to gain entry. The Central American nation reaffirmed its stance of ensuring foreign nationals meet the requirements to enter. Last month, Guatemalan authorities dispersed a migrant caravan comprised of thousands of U.S.-bound Hondurans; the migrants did not possess proper documents to enter Guatemala.
Mexico and Guatemala have worked to fortify their borders and stop organized masses of migrants from gaining passage. Conversely, the Biden administration is diminishing border security and allowing illegal aliens to enter the United States. The Administration’s immigration policies have actually encouraged the formation of migrant processions. So, it appears that we’ve reached a place where Central American countries are doing more to stop illegal immigration into the United States than our own government.
Additionally, the decision to dismantle the Asylum Cooperation Agreements formed with the governments of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador should raise concerns. Undoing these policies will likely lead to larger and more frequent migrant caravans to the United States, as nationals of these three nations will no longer be required to apply for asylum in neighboring countries.
One of a sovereign government’s top priorities should be to have a strong border to protect its citizenry. Our immigration priorities must focus on keeping our communities safe, and our border secured, as other countries have demonstrated. Every American should be asking why these foreign governments are doing more to curb U.S.-bound unlawful immigration than President Biden.
