Kaysia’s Political Rants: The Caravan

The thousands of immigrants that make up the controversial caravan have finally arrived to Mexico and the United States of America’s border. These individuals have traveled numerous miles in hope of of escaping the horrid situations in their home countries. These situations range from gang violence to domestic abuse. Instead of greeting the caravan with compassion and empathy,the aspiring immigrants are being met with tear gas and force at the hands of our military, as directed by their Commander In Chief.

Among the thousands of immigrants are countless parents trying to provide a better life for the proceeding generations of their family. How can we, as a country, hold up the Statue of Liberty and her proclamation of, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” and deny the tired, poor, and huddled masses yearning to breathe free to which she is referring.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services states “To apply for Asylum, file a Form I-589, Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal, within one year of your arrival to the United States,” therefore, the caravan are following the law, because they can be in the country without an approved asylum status. “Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution…The right may not be invoked in the case of prosecution genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations ” states The Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

There has not been a more crucial time to stand against America’s current administration. Unarmed people with no intention to cause violence do not need military attention. They need assistance on how to prosper in America. This is just another attempt to criminalize immigrants, and we, as Americans, must know better, and must do better.