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President Donald Trump threw a caravan of Central American migrants traveling to the United States as a national threat requiring military intervention.
"Many gang members and very bad people are part of the caravan heading for our southern border," says Trump. tweeted Oct. 29 "Please, go back, you will not be admitted to the United States unless you go through the judicial process.It is an invasion of our country and our military you wait!"
The Mexico City caravan began its journey more than three weeks ago from Honduras. Its size has fluctuated, with estimates of at least 3,500 people in the group. Small caravans are also reported to be moving north.
Men, women and children are in the caravans and many want to seek asylum in the United States. The asylum application is allowed by law – that migrants enter through the entry points or are intercepted by the border patrol.
The fact that Trump compares the caravan to an invasion is an exaggeration given what we know about the caravan. Several immigration and military experts have challenged Trump's etiquette and questioned the effectiveness of sending military personnel on active duty to the southern border. Where is.
Do migrants try to "invade" the United States?
"Invasions are armed operations organized in order to take control of a sovereign territory through the use of force," said Mary Ellen O. Connell, a professor of law at the University of Ottawa. University of Notre Dame, whose expertise includes international law on the use of force. and dispute resolution. She cited as an example the invasion of Iraq in 2003 by the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.
"Migrants are unarmed, organized or do not intend to take control of US territory," O'Connell said.
Central American caravans arriving in the United States "do not pose a threat to national security or a crisis" but flee poverty, violence and insecurity in their country, wrote Doris Meissner, former commissioner of the US Department of Immigration and Naturalization. Member of the Migration Policy Institute.
The recent number of apprehended persons on the south-west border is not as high as in the early 2000s. The fears of the border patrol at that time often exceeded one million. During the 2018 fiscal year, the number of arrests at the southwest border was less than 400,000.
There is also a notable difference in demographics. In the early 2000s, it was mostly Mexican men who sought to enter. In recent years, the number of Central Americans imported has exceeded the number of Mexicans, and a large portion is made up of children and unaccompanied families.
The limited role of the army at the border
General Joe Dunford, president of the Marine Corps, said the army would provide logistical assistance to immigration officers, not apprehend immigrants.
"There is no plan for US military forces to be involved in the current mission of preventing people from entering the United States," said Dunford at an event at the US Air Force. Duke University, November 5. "It is not expected that soldiers will come into contact with immigrants or strengthen the Department of Homeland Security as part of their mission."
The soldiers are already at the border going up accordion wire and strengthen entry points, Dunford said.
More than 5,200 soldiers are expected at the border. Military officials indicated that the total number of senders sent or the total cost associated with the mission was uncertain. Trump announced the possibility of deploying up to 15,000 men.
Active duty troops are being sent in addition to more than 2,000 National Guard soldiers sent earlier this year in response to another caravan. National Guard troops provide logistical support, aerial surveillance and repair of border infrastructure.
Response to "hard fighters"
Asset tweeted the caravans "are composed of fighters and very tough people who fought back against Mexico violently and violently on the northern border before they broke in. Mexican soldiers were wounded, unable or unwilling to stop Caravan."
Violent clashes allegedly took place between migrants and police officers in Guatemala and Mexico as migrants sought to move north. At one point in Mexico, "the migrants threw stones and sticks, and Mexican forces fired tear gas," CNN reported on October 30.
But this may not be the case in the United States, said Theresa Cardinal Brown, director of immigration and cross-border policy think tank Bipartisan Policy Center.
"They are trying to come to the US border to ask for asylum, if that is their tactics, I do not know why they would be aggressive towards US government officials," said Brown, who served at the US Department of Justice. Homeland Security during the administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
Border patrol officers encounter violent people who are involved in the smuggling of drugs and human beings, but the vast majority of people they meet are not violent, hiding or hiding from the authorities. Gil Kerlikowske, US Commissioner for Customs and Border Protection during the Obama administration. . They often look for Border Patrol officers.
It is possible that among the members of the caravan are criminals, said Kerlikowske. But there could be different degrees of crime – having a criminal record for stealing a motorcycle is totally different for having a criminal record for physical aggression, he said.
Border patrol officers are also very well trained to determine if people are gang members, by tattoos or other signs, said Kerlikowske, a non-resident researcher at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy. Professor at Northeastern University.
The experts said the agency was thoroughly trained on the appropriate use of force and that this lethal force was the last resort.
"Since migrants are not an" organized armed group "with the weapons, training and command to engage US military forces, international law does not permit the United States to use lethal force. under the police regime – to save lives immediately, "said O & # 39; Connell, of the University of Notre Dame. "If a migrant fires a firearm at a US service member, that service member can defend himself if a police officer or a border police officer is able to do so in the same circumstances."
If the military used force, it would be evaluated if it was appropriate or not, said David Lapan, vice president of communications at the Bipartisan Policy Center and former DHS press officer of the Trump administration.
It is not known in which area of the southwestern border the caravans will head or how many will eventually reach the US border.
Since most of them work, it will probably take them weeks, if not months, to travel to the United States.
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