Washington, D.C. (January 16, 2021) – The Center for Immigration Studies is actively tracking the U.S.-bound migrant caravan that departed Honduras Friday, reportedly broke through cordons of Honduran riot police after throwing stones amid violent disturbances, and pushed into Guatemala by night. On Saturday, the estimated 5,000 to 6,000 migrants were confronting that nation's police forces at various roadblocks, despite the arrest and deportation back to Honduras of hundreds of people. Meanwhile Mexican national guard troops at that country's border with Guatemala await any elements of the caravan that reach Mexican territory.
Todd Bensman, the Center's senior national security fellow and author of the forthcoming America's Covert Border War: The Untold Story of the Nation's Battle to Prevent Jihadist Infiltration, said, "A key development to watch for in the progress of caravans like this one is whether the Guatemalans and then the Mexicans can or will stand their ground. If this caravan – or the next one – breaks through, highly motivated by the immigration policy relaxation of Joe Biden, a humanitarian disaster would quickly unfold because that successful breach would inspire hundreds of thousands still in their home countries to form new and endless successions of new caravans."
"As we saw in Europe the last several years, there are serious national security implications inherent in mass migration crises like this," Bensman continued, "since terrorist travelers and other kinds of serious criminals use those teeming masses as camouflage to enter welcoming, well-meaning nations."
The attached video, from a caravan WhatsApp channel, shows last night's disturbances at the Honduras-Guatemala border.
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