Migrant Caravan Driven by Hope but Uncertain of Success

Alexander Pope’s comments on failure to reject vice appear to be apt: "Vice is a monster of so frightful mien as to be feared needs only to be seen, but seen too oft', familiar with her face, we first endure, then pity, then finally embrace." That tends to sum up the process that has resulted in our current default embrace of illegal immigrants, who constitute a permanent nonvoting class of low-level workers (after Prof. Krugman http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9905E3DD1230F932A05750C0A... ). We once condoned involuntary servitude to ensure a self-replenishing supply of unskilled workers—a practice inconsistent with our founding principles, Today, endorsement of voluntary servitude by illegal immigrants for the same purpose, conceptually, is as much a violation of our founding principles. The way out? E-Verify to cut off the carrot of (illegal) employment and encourage self-deportation, deport promptly when detected those who don't self-deport, and make clear in every way possible that "nuestro pais is no tu pais" is not official U.S. policy. After a few years the problem of illegal immigration would tend to be off the national radar. Vote for officials who endorse laws that encourage our illegal residents to go back home, where they can contribute the fruits of their labor freely and legally—and by so doing, simultaneously increase the average level of functioning there and here.. Who could ask for anything more?

These are failed Catholic countries. Populations that don't use birth control, have way too many babies, and pray that someone will be able to feed, clothe, and shelter them. We cannot help them. They are locked into a belief system that will keep them perpetually poor. And the bleakness of such lives will necessarily lead to violence and criminality in society. Why is nobody talking about this? They can either become like American Catholics who use birth control anyway and take responsibility for their childbearing, or they can stay as real Catholics who are doomed to sabotage themselves at every turn. In any event, they can't make us provide for our own family and theirs too. Sorry, no.

"Despite the hardship, migrants say it is better than the poverty and violence they left behind. People died on their way to the border. They are willing to give their lives in order to try to get a better life." The people in this "caravan" are willing to bet their lives that they will be able to find a job and be free from the violence they left behind. That is bravery to the utmost. Something trump doesn't know about. Another man, Josue stated: “If God’s willing, the president will give us permits to work in the United States,” he said. All I can say to that is good luck. Our "president" doesn't care a fig about you or anybody that doesn't fit into his "plan." Which, I would bet on, is to become the dictator of our once great country.

I think the Times would be wise to look into where the money that is supporting this movement has been coming from. Charitable organizations etc. have been offering support, true, but have they been receiving unusual amounts of donations recently? It stretches credulity to think that poor impoverished simple people could organize and maintain this movement. Hasn't it already been proven how easy it is to instigate and sway great numbers of people through Facebook and other social media. So to call this a grass roots movement is highly questionable. And, most importantly, isn't it most suspect that this movement has started and will reach its apex just when we're having our elections? Once again I fear we're being played and a lot of poor people are being used mercilessly.

The only explanation for this tragic show of misplaced faith is that there is a Pope behind it. I doubt such pope is close to the Democratic Party.

Independent and Democratic voters need to avoid the propaganda being peddled around Immigration. We have far more important issues to consider and vote on. If we do not vote on our values Republicans will hold the House and decimate Healthcare, Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, Civil Rights, Education, our Judicial System and prevent any efforts toward Renewable Energy. Stop taking the bait and concentrate on what really matters.

The last paragraph really got my attention. So only by association to the USA and entering the USA can salvation be found? No sense of national pride in their own country or attempts to change the political dynamic and the always referenced "gang violence". It has to be the USA for hope and salvation. Same scenario in Europe, sub-Saharan Africans seek salvation and hope in what was predominantly white Europe, only then is their hope for the future. The Central American migrants will pile on at the border, garnering sympathy and pity for their plight and the African migrants will expect to be rescued in the Mediterranean by the Europeans, who are expected to "save" them, otherwise they will die. The way I see it both groups of unauthorized migrants are gaming the system. Surely, it is time the outdated 1951 Refugee Convention is revisited and revised for the modern era. "Ms. Hernandez, who said she was named after Henry Kissinger, the former United States secretary of state. “God gives me the faith to keep going.”".

The story about many of these people, and why they are attempting to migrate to the U.S. is very touching. But it's important to remember that the U.S. is a nation with about 350 million people. The world today has BILLIONS of people who live in poverty, BILLIONS of people who live in oppressive countries... We can not solve the problems of global poverty and oppression by welcoming everyone suffering from these countries to the U.S. We already have the most generous immigration system in the world. The U.S. gives citizenship to 1 million immigrants each year, far more than any other country. But since there are billions of people suffering from poverty and oppression, far more than one million people would like to come here each year. The reality is our nation / economy cannot absorb all the people who live in poverty and are oppressed. Our immigration laws can't just be ignored by caravans of migrants, by the estimated 29 million people here in the U.S. illegally, and by the democrats who support sanctuary cities and the abolishment of ICE. We are a nation of laws, and our immigration laws must be respected. So long as democrats look to subvert our immigration laws, they will suffer at the polls, because Americans are becoming increasingly alarmed at illegal immigration, just as people throughout Europe are. The backlash to people promoting 'open borders' is growing.

The key issue in immigration, whether legal or illegal, is “Will they be reasonably self sufficient?” Sadly, the immigrants from Central America are dominantly uneducated, have limited skills, and are illiterate ( in their own language !). As we have seen with our own citizenry, this profile will trap the bulk of them into a life of poverty. It is immaterial that they are willing to work. They will only command a minimum wage. They will live in a cash economy, never paying into the safety net that they rely upon. They will tend to congregate into semi-closed communities, never assimilating into the general populace. These areas will echo crime, gangs and corruption that they thought were left behind. Globalization has drastically shrunk the size of the unskilled job market. Further, the existing population of 13 million illegals may have already saturated the domestic pool of unskilled jobs. As a result, any significant increase in the population of unschooled youth will result in joblessness, a recipe for crime and unrest. Immigration once fueled the countries growth, but it occurred in times of national expansion and industrialization. The precedent of the past no longer applies. Let’s be smart about out choices.

It is not beyond reason to think one or two terrorists might try to slip into the caravan. That is why it would make sense to have professional and humane screeners at the boarder who can welcome these families, direct them to resources and demonstrate why the United States in the last best hope for mankind. This is the moment when Mr. Trump could be great. He could welcome these pilgrims with open arms, and show them that they are right to dream of coming here. This is the moment that Mr. Trump could truly become President. Lets see what happens.

I have a strong feeling that the flow of movement is almost scheduled to be right before the election. Trump will use it to his benefit and the election will be directly impacted by fear and hate.

Why would we fill up our country with all of these people with very low education instead of all the PhD's, doctors and scientists who wait for years on H1-B visas pay high taxes and have children who are committed to being highly educated?

I'm not racist and I'm not anti-immigration. It's just that anyone who comes to this county needs to do it legally (like my wife's family) and have something to offer this country in return for the privilege of living here. Coming here just to live off the American taxpayer just doesn't cut it for me. Sorry.

If this so-called caravan isn't prevented from entering the U.S. - immediately and effectively - it will be quickly followed by more and bigger ones.

Enough with these stories. We have given billions to these countries and what do THEY have to show for it? Where did it go? Everyone's anger should be directed squarely on the shoulders of the political leaders of Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua etc. How much more aid shall we give them?

Can’t believe NYT is still beating this drum. Why not show a map indicating exactly how far away this is from US border? This has as much relevance in what is going in in today’s immigration debate as does what kind of coffee I will drink this morning. Stop taking the conservative-right bait on this spectacle. Stop contorting yourselves to give credence to everything the right says you guys have to. Did you learn nothing from your 2016 coverage?

We have to stop letting them in to process their 3-5 year asylum cases while they establish jobs, homes and families in the US. They have to be turned away at the border. The "credible fear" may be true but it is no worse than the millions of other people that live in the region. You are always going to have gangs and crime when you have a population explosion with an average age of 23 and millions of young testosterone-filled boys and men around. Also, we have to start immediately a zero-tolerance policy of hiring of illegals.

Why on earth would we let people that have no stake in our country come in and defile our land, any American worth his salt should be ready to stand against this unlawful invasion.

“The bottom line is, most people in Honduras frankly could not care less about elections in the U.S.,” said Oscar Chacón, the executive director of Alianza Americas... "The bottom line is, most people from Honduras in this caravan frankly could not care less about the U.S. except for how it can benefit them economically" Fixed it for you.

This horde of people moving northward is not biblical, as described by that participant, although he captured some of the spirit. It is a latter-day Children’s Crusade, and the participants will be fortunate to not end up as did the children of that movement. The participants of this slog have virtually no hope of legally entering the US, and the people encouraging them are doing them a disservice.

When have the citizens of this country, the majority of which are not native American or indigenous but have ancestors who came here 300 years ago or less, become so anti-immigration that we have forget our core values? Does it not say on the plaque of the Statue of Liberty: "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" Shame on all Americans who go by their racist dogma and cast away these tired, poor, and huddled masses because they're not white or English-speaking.

The timing of this particular caravan is interesting, and I hope the Times will investigate its origins. I personally feel it's a low-tech, feet-on-the-ground meddling in the elections engineered by the Russians with the collusion of Republican operatives. Its alignment with the GOP campaign of fear, anger, and racism is a bit too perfect.

I believe Trying to find out who fund this caravan is not bringing any solution or understanding to this problem. We the American's watched last 10 years what happened around the Europe , Millions of people marched in to EU. Biggest mistake EU made , never deeply invested to problem until migrant chain reach millions. then they were late, EU people revolted and even pre WWII type fascist ideologies awaken. This caravan is that one , it may be changing who knows anymore people are going to migrate en masse like this, because alone nobody hear your story but this way entire world attention will be on them. this will bring US immigration politics another territory. How do you deal with en masse migration. We bashed EU last 10 years telling them what you did all wrong. Okay ball is on our side now, let see how we are handling this.?

It is all about Democratic votes

At this moment it is early to state this migrations are driven by changing Climate too, But mezo America is the highway of hurricanes, last 70 years population increase , poverty, instability may cause significant changes in this region, at least mezo America is ot a bir population area except Mexico , that is why extremely crucial to improve Mexico's economy that become a buffer. Consider If Mexico become a Venezuela type of economic collapse. We really need some body whose entire solution is building a concrete or steel wall. Even highest wall cannot succeed what nafta achieved so far.

There are no miracles but there are many politically motivated maneuvers. How convenient for trump that this should occur on the eve of the midterms.

The U.S. has admitted criminals from Ireland, Italy and Russia to name a few. Many of whom organized themselves into American based empires-of-evil. They brought drugs, they raped, none of them were good people. Since the 1930's we've made award winning movies about them. So what's the problem here? What's so different about these folk from South America. They're all Christians, just like the others. Oh, wait. I just saw a photograph of their faces. I get it now.

These suffering poor peasants are the descendants of the original natives of North America. They are the demographic future of the USA. They make and carry the babies.....not the white Americans north of the border. At work they work unlike domestics.....who talk about the TV they watched or sports and do as little as possible. With US domestics there is the constant threat of unions or workers comp or discrimination or sexual harassment lawsuits and the cost of health benefits. Of course employers don't want to hire domestics....better to ship production offshore. Abolish ICE and let migrants be free to work and live where they want. And allow employers to hire who they want and pay what they please.

Why are Democrats turning their backs on the Caravan ? Democrats must embrace the Caravan and abolish ICE.

We need to use any and all resources to repel the illegal aliens at the border. Call up volunteers who are to be armed and ready to use whatever force is needed to stop these illegals from entering onto US soil. The military also needs to be assembled and ready to stop the illegals and they too authorized to use any and all force to insure the security of our border. NO catch and release, NO detention, NO asylum petitions to be accepted. If caught process the person and then kick them back over the border. Issue warnings that illegal entry could result in the illegal being injured (possibly fatally) if they choose to cross illegally. No need to separate families... process and kick them back to the Mexican side of the border. Make them walk back to their real homeland. We do not want them. We DO want skilled, educated immigrants... not unskilled, uneducated people who are just going to be a drain on the US taxpayers. Time to play hardball with there illegals.

The human tsunami of legal and illegal immigrants coming ashore in the USA is driving the quality of our lives toward the quality of life in the countries these people are leaving.

I don't want to minimize the suffering of the people in the caravan, nor the legitimacy of their quest for asylum, but could Republicans/Russians be funding this? Coming two weeks before the election this seems like the perfect event to mobilize trump's base.