Caravan hits back at Trump: US-bound migrants insist they ‘aren’t killers’ after President refused to let them claim asylum and deployed troops to reinforce border
Trump’s recent statements include that he plans to sign an order that could lead to the detention of migrants crossing the southern border, and barring anyone caught crossing illegally from claiming asylum
He also said he had told the U.S. military mobilizing at the southwest border that if U.S. troops face rock-throwing migrants, they should react as though the rocks were ‘rifles’
‘It is pure ignorance for him to think like that,’ said Marta Cuellos, a 40-year-old from Tegucigalpa, the Honduran capital. ‘A rock is not the same as a rifle’
While some migrants have clashed with Mexican police at a bridge on the Guatemala border, most of those traveling with the caravans have been peaceful
More than 7,000 active duty troops have been told to deploy to Texas, Arizona and California
DAILYMAIL.COM
3 November 2018
As President Donald Trump ramped up his anti-migrant rhetoric ahead of Tuesday’s midterm elections, exhausted Central Americans walking across Mexico in hopes of reaching the United States said they were mostly perplexed and turned off by his threats, which they perceive as exaggerated.
The U.S. president has spent the final days of the campaign hammering the issue as he tries to energize Republican voters, and his favorite target has been the migrant caravan of almost 4,000 people that is still more than 800 miles away from the nearest U.S. border. Three smaller ones are following behind it.
Trump’s recent statements include that he plans to sign an order that could lead to the detention of migrants crossing the southern border, and barring anyone caught crossing illegally from claiming asylum. Both propositions are legally dubious.
Trump also said he had told the U.S. military mobilizing at the southwest border that if U.S. troops face rock-throwing migrants, they should react as though the rocks were ‘rifles.’
‘It is pure ignorance for him to think like that,’ said Marta Cuellos, a 40-year-old from Tegucigalpa, the Honduran capital. ‘A rock is not the same as a rifle.’
While some migrants have clashed with Mexican police at a bridge on the Guatemala border, most of those traveling with the caravans have been peaceful and say they are fleeing violence and poverty at home. Those traveling through the southern state of Oaxaca on Friday said they are not looking for trouble.
Cuellos said she owned a cantina back home in Honduras but left because she could no longer make rent and was being harassed by police. She persuaded her 35-year-old sister to join her on the trip, and said the only thing they want is work and a better life in the United States. It’s her second attempt. She first crossed into the U.S. seven years ago but was deported last year.
Selvin Maldonado, a 25-year-old from Copan, Honduras, said he left his wife and baby daughter at home in search of a better living to support his children. He took his 5-year-old son, Dennys, with him.
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