We reject Trump and the servile governments’ aggressions!
The immigrant caravan has now reached 7.000 Hondurans going towards the United States through Mexican grounds. They are fleeing poverty, misery and violence produced by the dictatorial JOH administration. This has generated a great scale migration movement, new in the Central American region, which has generated commotion in public opinion. This has generated crisis in the Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador governments. It has also evidenced the role of “police filter” imposed by the North American imperialism on the Mexican government. All these governments have completely obeyed to close ranks to make the path of the immigrants harder. Their objective is to favor the interests of the immigration policy of their patron Trump, whose future will be decided in the next elections of the Lower Chamber against his opponents from the Democrat Party.
The increase of Central American immigration towards the United States is the clear reflex of the intensity of the colonization policy imposed by North American imperialism on the region’s countries. A clear example of this is the North Triangle treaty and the FTAs that have deepened the privatization of state enterprises and services, labor flexibilization, the handing over of natural resources to imperialist franchises and the precarization of the poverty conditions of the working class and the remaining excluded sectors, like women, youth, peasants and ethnic groups. Before the desperate survival situation they are exposed to, they opt to abandon their families to go on a journey filled with dangers and deprivations.
The poverty and repression situation in Honduras has become unbearable. According to a USAID report, unemployment among working youth (between 15 and 30 years) is 30%. The FOSDEH (Social Forum of Foreign Debt of Honduras) states that in 2017, 68.8% of the Honduran population is in a poverty condition. In other words, 6 million out of the 8.8 million who live in the country. This number is rapidly growing, since in 2016 it was 65%.
The USA government and the imperialist domination bodies (IMF, OAS) have great responsibility for this social crisis. North American imperialism has intervened in Honduras since the 1890s, when the North American banana companies were established, and with them the regular presence of the army and military bases. The USA government has carried out military interventions to overthrow governments or stop ascents of social struggles in Honduras. It did so openly in 1907 and 1911. It did so in 2016 when the State Department supported the murder of Berta Cáceres, leader of the native and environmentalist movement COPINH (Civil Council of Social and Native Organizations of Honduras). There are currently many transnational enterprises functioning in the country, mainly in the industrial food production sector (PepsiCo, Dole, Sara Lee, Nestle) and industrial textile sector (Adidas, Levi Strauss, American Apparel, Eagles, Nike, Polo, etc.). These enterprises supported the coup and the paramilitary groups that murdered social fighters like Berta.
The JOH administration, in complicity with Zelaya and the LIBRE party, who preferred an agreed electoral outing to stop being surpassed by mobilizations, are deepening the transformation of the country into a USA colony, as well as applying the IMF plans. The Honduras Plan 20/20 is destined to create free zones for foreign investment, and the new Tax Code of JOH in force since last year, which is completely regressive, turn the country into a fiscal paradise for foreign capital and enterprises as it asphyxiates the working population of the country. Despite the growth of the maquila sector, wages are miserable and low cost industrial good exports do not compensate the necessary imports for survival. Honduras has a deficit in the trade balance with the USA of $737 million per year (FOSDEH).
There is period of great instability in Central America. It is marked by a significant ascent in mobilizations with insurrectional methods against neoliberal plans and authoritarian governments. This happened in the struggle for the downfall of the JOH administration in Honduras and Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua, Jimmy Morales in Guatemala, and against the fiscal plan held by Carlos Alvarado in Costa Rica. This is a mass answer to the re-launching of the exploitation measures imperialism has imposed with direct collaboration of the servile governments.
The Trump administration now threatens to cut all foreign help to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. He is also threatening not to ratify the Free Trade Agreement with Mexico, and to “shut down the south frontier” of the country by all means, including mobilizing the National Guard and the army. The Trump administration is increasing the criminalization of immigrants within and outside the USA, it is agitating xenophobia and the “white supreme” nationalism to divide the working class and hide the real causes of poverty and growing over-exploitation among North American workers. First, it attempted to annul the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival) program, then it separated brutally over 3,000 immigrant undocumented children from their parents, causing massive mobilizations around the country. Today, 497 children are still separated from their families. The threats against the immigrant Caravan and the new anti-immigrant standings in the USA are another attempt of this hateful government to attack our class. We must unite to fight it.
This measure taken by the Honduran working class appears to be generalizing among the countries of the so-called “North Triangle”. By the end of October, an immigrant Caravan will part from El Salvador to meet the Honduran Immigrant Caravan, and immigrant groups are beginning to organize in Guatemala.
The need of the workers’ movement and the social and popular organizations to pressure the Trump, Peña Nieto, since he is co-ruling “in transition” with the elected López Obrador, Jimmy Morales, Sánchez Ceren and Juan Orlando Hernández administrations through acts and demonstrations is urgent. We must demand from them to stop repression, violations and abuses. For unlimited respect of immigrants’ human rights who are mobilizing in the caravan, and for their free transit towards the United States.
Equally, it is necessary to organize a strong solidarity campaign with the Immigrant Caravan to support them in their struggle for a better future for their families.
Asylum and welcome of all immigrants in the Caravan! Open frontiers, now!
For labor and social movement to organize solidarity actions with the immigrant Caravan on both sides of the frontier!
They are not criminals; they are our brothers, international workers!
The working class has no frontiers! No one is illegal! No to criminalization of immigration!
For the abolishment of Immigration/ICE! For the freedom of all immigrants imprisoned in detention centers!
DACA and paths to citizenship for the immigrants who wish it!
Out with North American imperialism from Honduras, Mexico and Central America!
Trial and punishment to material and intellectual authors of the murder of Berta Cáceres!
Sign:
Partido Socialista de los Trabajadores – Honduras
Plataforma de la Clase Trabajadora – El Salvador
Partido de los Trabajadores- Costa Rica
La Voz dos Trabajadores/ Workers’ Voice- USA
Corriente Obrera-USA
Corriente Socialista de los Trabajadores -Mexico
Solidarity with the Immigrant Caravan!
