This Year’s Annual Pilgrimage Event: Caravan of Mothers of Missing Migrants

According to an article published in 2018 by the IOM UN Migration website, every year the Caravana de Madres de Migrantes Desaparecidos or the Caravan of Mothers of Missing Migrants walk through the streets of Mexico searching for their Mexican children who had disappeared while trying to cross the US-Mexican border.

It was during that year that the event had had a first in its history having other mothers from different continents to participate in the event. The move targets the construction of a transnational move to let the world realize and understand that 1 disappearance and death is already a big loss.

That event had involved forty mothers and their relatives to participate in the event. These people were from countries like Senegal, Honduras, Guatemala, Mauritania, and Tunisia. They had participated in the event by sharing their stories with their missing loved ones and their journey in searching for the lost children.

According to an article published by the UN News website in 2018, the first Caravan of Mothers of Missing Migrants event had started in the year 2005 where mothers cross Mexican borders to reach the country and march and raise awareness to the people of their children who disappeared while going on a journey to cross the US-Mexican border.

Currently, the Caravan of Mothers of Missing Migrants event had recently happened with thirty-eight mothers from Central America participating in the event. This group had made their way to Mexican soil to showcase their search for their lost children and all other children due to migration criminalization all over the globe.

After years of wars in El Salvador, gang criminalization and economic downfalls are still urging its citizens to leave the country for hopes of peace, safety, and security.

Immigrants from Central America who are at a 1,300-mile radius to the US-Mexican border are at a high risk of assault, abduction, abuse, exploitation, and any other forms of violence by the police of Mexico and immigration authority personnel.

When former Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto started the Programa Frontera Sur in the year 2014, Mexico had increased its restrictions on immigration and allowed state agents to cause harm and violence to those who are attempting to cross the US-Mexican borders.

Currently, the tariffs threat by US President Donald Trump to Mexico has caused the Mexican government to reach a contract with the US government to strengthen immigration law enforcement.

Countless children of Central American origin had been reported to have disappeared during their journey to cross the US-Mexican border. The journey typically starts in Tapachula, then to the route of the La Bestia. La Bestia is a train that many immigrant hopefuls ride to cross the US-American border. During the journey, these people will be at a higher threat of violence, abuse, theft, and death. After the pilgrimage reaches its destination in the US Texas border, the participant to the caravan will be given the privilege to participate in conversations with government authorities regarding the human rights problem involved with how immigration is treated by many nations.