15,000 People Marching Towards The US Border

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What’s happening?

Thousands of migrants of various nationalities Monday began a 2,000-km journey on foot through southern Mexico to reach the US border in hope of escaping hardships in their home countries.
The group, migrant activists told, could be one of the region’s largest migrant caravans in recent years.
The movement has been timed to coincide with the three-day Summit of the Americas, which began on June 8 and is being held in Los Angeles.
Migration is one of the key concerns to be discussed at the meet.

The Summit of the Americas (SOA) is an international summit meeting that brings together the leaders of countries in the Organization of American States (OAS).
In the early 1990s, the formerly ad hocsummits were institutionalized into a regular “Summit of the Americas” based on the principles of democracy and free trade.
It provide an opportunity for discussions about a variety of issues and topics.

Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba were not invited to the 2022 Summit, which was hosted by the US.
Mexico did not attend the event in protest at the exclusion of the three countries.

Early on Monday (June 6), at least 6,000 people began their 2,000-km journey from the southern Mexican city of Tapachula, which is located near the Guatemalan border.
Most of the migrants are reportedly from Venezuela, Cuba and Haiti.
On Thursday, at least 11,000 people had joined the caravan, and with more joining everyday, the numbers are said to touch 15,000.

Large scale caravans consisting of people from South and Central America have been taking place periodically since 2018.
Forced to leave their homes due to rising poverty, violence and socio-political turmoil, thousands from Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvadore enter Mexico, with the hopes of finally reaching the United States.
Over the years, authorities in Guatemala and Mexico have attempted to curtail the movement of these caravans, but have not succeeded.
In contrast to the ones in the past, the ongoing caravan contains a significant proportion of Venezuelans.
One reason for this is a new policy introduced by Mexico in January, which requires Venezuelans to have a visa to enter the country.
Earlier, Venezuelans could more easily enter Mexico as tourists and subsequently make their way to the US border.
Around 6 million Venezuelans have fled to neighboring countries in recent years.

Those from South America had to cross the Darién Gap, one of the most dangerous routes in the world that connects South and Central America,
Consisting of 5,000 sq km of swampland, dense rainforests, steep mountains and venomous snakes.
Migrants also face the risk of robbery, physical and sexual violence from smugglers and traffickers.

People have been complaining for months now that Mexico’s migrant containment policy holds them far from the US, in the southernmost parts of the country, and makes their lives extremely difficult.
Many of them continue to be burdened with large debts that were incurred for their migration and there aren’t many job prospects in Tapachula either.
Migrants claim that the authorities have been slow in granting them visas, leaving them stuck at Tapachula.

This regional summit in Los Angeles seeks to address shared challenges, like migration, climate change and the economy.
Biden will be holding a meeting with regional leaders on Friday to sign a declaration that will aim to alleviate the migrant crisis in the Americas.
During a speech at the event on Wednesday (June 8), Biden hinted at the declaration, and called it “a ground-breaking, integrated new approach” with shared responsibility across the hemisphere.
Organisers of the caravan said they timed it to coincide with the Summit of Americas to show regional leaders the acute problems faced by the migrants.
Luis García Villagrán, of the Center for Human Dignity, who helped organise the caravan said that he wanted to send a message that “The migrant women and children, the migrant families are not bargaining chips for ideological and political interests”.

Q, From which neighbouring countries, maximum migrants come to India?