/ Modified apr 13, 2018 12:18 p.m.

UA Prof: Migrant Caravan Posed No Threat to US Border

Says travelers were on an annual journey to raise awareness of Central American violence.

Border wall A UA professor says a migrant caravan through Central America was not intending to storm the United States border.
Nancy Montoya

A caravan of migrants from Central America stopped in Mexico, but an expert tracking the group says most people in the migration never intended to arrive in the United States.

Elizabeth Oglesby, a Latin American studies professor at the University of Arizona, said a caravan of Central American migrants that President Donald Trump called "dangerous" is not a threat to border security. Instead, she said, the group of men and women was making a traditional journey and dealing with threats all the way.

"A large percentage of the women face sexual violence going through Mexico," she said. "The caravan is a way to bring people together and as a way to support each other and protect each other."

Oglesby said the caravan draws attention to violence in Central America when it travels through Mexico each year. President Trump said Mexican authorities stopped the caravan before it could reach the United States.

By posting comments, you agree to our
AZPM encourages comments, but comments that contain profanity, unrelated information, threats, libel, defamatory statements, obscenities, pornography or that violate the law are not allowed. Comments that promote commercial products or services are not allowed. Comments in violation of this policy will be removed. Continued posting of comments that violate this policy will result in the commenter being banned from the site.

By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.
AZPM is a service of the University of Arizona and our broadcast stations are licensed to the Arizona Board of Regents who hold the trademarks for Arizona Public Media and AZPM. We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples.
The University of Arizona