The migrant caravan of people from Honduras and El Salvador firmly advances towards the USA frontier. It has faced the governments’ repression, violence of organized crime, hunger and exhaustion due to its long course. These situations, far from stopping them, have motivated their struggle against barbarism in the countries from where they are fleeing.
By PT-Costa Rica
There are over 7 thousand migrants, with the main group located in Irapuato, 327 kilometers north of the City of México [1]. In its way through the Federal District, the caravan received enormous sings of solidarity from independent human rights organizations, unions, artists and the toiling masses in general. This was not the case with the UN, who denied their support with shelters since day 1.
When we were concluding this article, 80 immigrants, mainly women, children, and LGBTI sectors were already in the frontier city Tijuana, waiting for the rest of the caravan.
The governments from the different countries of origin, just as Guatemala’s and Mexico’s answered the best way they know how. They followed Trump’s repressive orders. In the frontier, President Enrique Pena Nieto ordered the attack on the first caravan that overthrew the gates of access to Aztec land. The obstacles imposed by this government will tend to avoid at all cost the advance of the caravan through massive deportations and the prorogation of ruling obstacles for people to remain in the country.
Juan Orlando Hernández, Honduran President, sent buses to the frontier of Guatemala and Mexico for those who wish to return and promised to create 5,500 job posts through a 25 million investment to avoid massive exodus [2].
President Donald Trump deployed a contingent of 5,300 soldiers and intends to deploy ten thousand more if the situation requires. He ordered the military “to answer rocks with bullets”, and he put the responsibility in the Democrat Party for pushing immigration [3]. The militarization of the frontier and the far right paramilitary groups are combined with the suspension of economic help to the countries of the North triangle (El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala). He also demanded the countries involved in the situation, particularly Mexico, to toughen immediately the migration laws to avoid more groups from joining.
Working women and LGBTI sectors represent the main groups of this caravan. They were exposed to discrimination, violation of their human rights, and even murders. These populations suffer twice oppression and exploitation in their countries of origin, and they are more likely to join the rank and files of the migrant caravans that leave the region.
The Structural Causes that pushed the Migrant Caravan
Honduras, for example, reduced its fiscal deficit from 7.1% to 1.2% [4] and presents the highest economic growth among the Central American countries (of 4.8% according to the IMF in 2017 [5]).
However, these data, showing a supposed economic boom, have no connection with the Central American workers’ reality. In Honduras, for example, poverty reaches 64% of the population, there are 350 thousand unemployed and 70% are employed in the informal sector [6].
The neoliberal policies of re-colonization orchestrated from North American imperialism and applied by the puppet Central American governments are the causes of the sinking of Central America in poverty, misery and violence.
When we speak of policies of “re-colonization” we are referring to a series of measures that increase the dependence and economic submission of the Central American countries to North American imperialism. These forms of domination are expressed in treaties and agreements with international financial bodies, or directly with imperialist countries like the United States or the European Union.
The FTAs represent one of the main re-colonization policies because they push privatization of state enterprises, massive imports of agricultural products that bankrupted local producers and created a legal framework to increase privileges of great transnational enterprises based in the region under free trade zones regime.
With the adoption of the FTAs, the Central American countries lived a brutal crisis of agrarian production in Central America that does not manage to face the lower prices of imported foods, generating the abandonment of the fields and the increase of Central Americans’ migration to the USA.
Another re-colonization agreement between imperialism and the countries in the region was the Alliance for Prosperity, which was signed in 2014 due to the crisis of immigrant children [7]. They attempted giving one billion dollars per year during five years to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador to avoid more migration towards the United States.[8]
An initiative that implies creating better conditions for enterprises to carry out businesses, labor flexibilization, State reforms for budget cuts and investment in security. Financing comes from international financial bodies, so we know that it implies a greater economic dependence. The sole existence of the migrant caravan expresses the failure of this alliance.
In favor of free competition, pro-imperialist governments of Central America privatized key sectors of economy that were in the State’s hands. In Honduras, for example, electricity was privatized in 66%, which has generated an electricity rate increase up to 20%.
Public works concessions through the public-private alliances are in the agenda. Between 2012 and 2016, over 12 infrastructure projects were handed over to the private sector for 1.8 billion dollars. Among them, we find the greatest dry canal in Central America, a new airport in Palmerola and two sugar cane mills in Olancho [9].
The handing over of natural resources to great hydroelectric projects generates the displacement of thousands of people from the fields directly to the United States. According to a research carried out in 2017, the Honduran State granted concession of 105 rivers for hydroelectric dam instalment, 950 mining concessions and over 800 more still in process. Environmentalist organizations estimate that 30% of Honduran territory has already been handed over to mining companies [10].
Besides natural resources plundering and the handing over of sovereignty, there are adjustment plans through State budget cuts in health, education and social programs. There is also frequent attack to the living conditions of public workers. Last year, the JOH administration closed 13,790 jobs in the state sector during three years, as part of the compromise of its administration with the International Monetary Fund to reduce the public expenses [11].
The free trade policies brought on more poverty, unemployment and inequality to the Central American region. The privileges for transnationals and imports bankrupted small peasants, privatizations of state enterprises generated increase in costs of public services that the people constantly pay. The handing over of natural resources to transnational private capital submitted each time more sovereignty to the hands of imperialist countries.
Drug traffic, violence and imperialist interference
Another dramatic phenomenon that promotes high migration towards the USA, directly linked to the failure of neoliberal policies, are the high rates of violence in Central America because it is part of the drug traffic route to the USA. The North Triangle of Central America is the fourth most violent region in the world, adding up to 13,000 homicides in 2017 [12]. In 2013, Honduras was considered the most violent country in the world, with 90.4 homicides every 100 thousand inhabitants. El Salvador and Guatemala had an average of 40 homicides every 100 thousand inhabitants. Although the numbers present a slight improvement, the gangs’ control over the worker neighborhoods and the increase of their political power generate today the massive fleeing of Central Americans. In El Salvador, the financing of the ARENA and FMLN political campaigns by MS and 18 gangs was proven. The administration of the ex-president Mauricio Funes agreed a truce with the gangs that sustained the privileges for their leaders in the prisons, while their forms of financing coming from traffic remained untouched and extortion, often against working families, continued.
In the countries of the region, misery and the lack of opportunities push important social sectors to join the drug traffic rank and file, as well as hired killings. It is normal to see prisons filled with people condemned due to selling, transporting or holding drugs, while the great leaders of traffic continue concentrating great fortunes at the expense of the blood of the people.
The increase in the budget of the different bodies of security of the Central American states, the agreements on joint patrol and the North American military presence with bases in Honduras or Panama have not stopped the blood bath taking place in our countries, where the working class dies while the rich increase their profits.
Militarization has helped increase the political control of imperialism over the region as well as criminalizing social protest. In Honduras, the congress adopted last year a reform on article 557 on illegal meetings and demonstrations, and since 2010, there have been over 150 murders of activists, among them the environmentalist, Bertha Cáceres. The deployment of the State’s repressive apparatus was seen a few weeks ago in the El Guapinol community, where one thousand police units evicted a popular settlement that resisted during 90 days the building of a hydroelectric dam [13].
The increase of authoritarianism in the region eased the way to apply anti-popular economic and security policies, which have caused massive exodus of migrants towards the United States. The so-called left wing organizations like LIBRE are much responsible for this. They have not fought consequently the fraud, they called to demobilize their rank and file, and to trust them. Supposedly, they would achieve the changes required by the working class from the Legislative Assembly.
Since the 2009 coup d’état supported by the United States, and more recently the re-election fraud of JOH as president allow the plundering plans to be applied at a higher rhythm. Concessions of public works to private enterprises, the opening of Job and Economic Development Zones (ZEDES) [14], which imply more privileges for great enterprises, while the working class continues to pay for the costs of the crisis. This will only increase migration through each time greater caravans.
For an anti-imperialist and socialist program for Central America
The main task of labor, social, student and left wing political organizations like the International Workers League is to stand in solidarity with the migrant caravan. No human being is illegal. If entire families risk their lives to reach the USA, it is because they have no dignified living conditions in their own countries. The bourgeoisie attempts through all means to maintain the working class divided to increase its profits. For this, they seek to highlight nationalisms and supposed national differences, so that we will fight among workers of different countries. For this, we reject xenophobic speeches and we say, national or foreign, we are the same working class.
We condemn the repressive policy of the Trump administration and that of the servile governments of the region. We demand immediate withdrawal of their troops, complete opening of the frontiers for those who make up the caravan to be able to freely access North American territory. We also demand medical attention and safe and dignified shelter, just as the legalization of the migratory status of all immigrants in the United States. Down with the wall of Shame and all repressive actions in the frontier! For the Mexican government to guarantee the passage and safety of the migrants from their frontier to the north frontier!
The main responsible for the migrant exodus towards the USA is North American imperialism with its policies of wealth plundering, handing over of institutions and natural resources, which have generated misery and poverty that push the caravan.
Local oligarchies and governments stand for and protect the interests of North American imperialism, applying the adjustment plans, privatizations and benefiting from a war against drug traffic that has only brought on more poverty, violence and repression against the working class.
Now more than ever, we raise the need to fight through struggle and mobilization to achieve the fall of the dictatorships of Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua and JOH in Honduras, main promoters of Trump’s anti-popular policies in the region that generated migrations both to the United State and to Costa Rica. They do not hold back to kill hundreds of activists protesting in the streets against adjustments and cutback measures. Anticipated elections or setting hope in the mediation of bourgeois sectors or imperialist institutions is to condemn the struggle to failure. Therefore, we raise the need to retake the blockages and to organize popular self-defense as the only way to take power from Central American dictators.
Openly pro-oligarchy and corrupt governments like the Honduran one or Jimmy Morales in Guatemala, or with a left wing speech like the FMLN in El Salvador, they all continue to support the free trade agreements, joint patrol and the privileges of the great transnationals established in our countries.
There will be no peace, no work and no improvement in the quality of life of the toiling masses if we do not break with imperialist offensive and its re-colonizing policy for the region. It has been proven that they only stand to subdue the Central American people to barbarism conditions, which generate the massive migrations.
To face imperialism means to break with the FTAs, Alliance for Prosperity and the other agreements that subdue our countries economically and politically.
It is necessary to revoke all laws that grant privileges to transnationals (for the end of the free trade zone regimes), to re-nationalize without compensation the institutions and strategic enterprises for economy that have been privatized.
We stand for a workers and popular plan to face unemployment with a sliding scale of working hours without payment reduction, automatic increase of wage to face inflation. At the same time, we stand for all the labor achievements and for a public pensions system, available to all workers.
We stand for the demands of the landless peasants, for land for those who work it. We stand for an agrarian revolution with the expropriation of great landowners without compensation.
The building of public works must be in the State’s hands and this must be reflected in wage and labor conditions that guarantee an adequate life quality, so, we oppose the adjustment plans that attack the toiling masses.
We stand for immediate non-payment of the debt and an audit by social organizations to know how much they have stolen and who are the main creditors.
All these initiatives can only take place in the framework of a socialist revolution to lead the working class to power. The dichotomy “Socialist revolution or colony” is more present than ever to fight poverty, unemployment and the power of drug traffic. In other words, the roots of barbarism in Central America. Only a blunt victory of the working class in a country and the complete break with imperialism may incline this process towards the revolution. Far from being a utopia, the socialist revolution is a pressing need of the masses.
The IWL-FI and all its sections are in service of building a political leadership to carry out this task, for the struggle for a Second Independence in Latin America and for the Federation of Socialist Republics of Central America.
Notes:
[1] https://www.voanoticias.com/a/caravana-de-migrantes-que-avanza-a-ee-uu-esta-en-irapuato-mexico-/4654573.html
[2] https://larepublica.pe/mundo/1344033-caravana-migrante-presidente-honduras-anuncia-5500-empleos-pide-migrantes-vuelvan-juan-orlando-hernandez
[3] https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/mundo/ejercito-disparara-si-migrantes-tiran-piedras-trump
[4] https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-america-latina-45973289
[5] https://www.efe.com/efe/america/economia/el-fmi-dice-que-crecimiento-de-honduras-en-2017-fue-mejor-lo-esperado/20000011-3582744
[6] https://www.efe.com/efe/america/sociedad/la-pobreza-en-honduras-aumento-1-5-pese-a-una-millonaria-inversion-segun-un-estudio/20000013-3663009
[7] Según datos del gobierno del expresidente Obama, durante ese año la Patrulla Fronteriza detuvo a más de 46.000 niños y jóvenes menores de 18 años que viajaban sin la compañía de un adulto, una cifra que supera en más de un 60% a la registrada 12 meses antes.
https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias/2014/06/140620_eeuu_crisis_humanitaria_menores_indocumentados_jg
[8] https://www.plazapublica.com.gt/content/un-proyecto-de-la-elite-empresarial?fbclid=IwAR2zNX_oBwQq5OY-L9GWFn3byarTDOzAT_AUIn64VrRQgpkd7sL3K4—SE
[9] http://www.latribuna.hn/2018/04/16/honduras-lidera-divulgacion-proyectos-infraestructura-app/
[10] http://radioprogresohn.net/index.php/comunicaciones/noticias/item/3499-entrega-de-recursos-naturales-significa-muerte-pobreza-y-destrucci%C3%B3n-ambiental
[11] https://www.elheraldo.hn/economia/1074676-466/honduras-el-sector-p%C3%BAblico-del-pa%C3%ADs-cancel%C3%B3-13790-plazas-en-tres-a%C3%B1os
[12] https://elperiodico.com.gt/mundo/2018/01/20/el-triangulo-norte-entre-las-zonas-mas-violentas-del-mundo/
[13] http://movimientom4.org/2018/11/tacoa-alto-a-la-represion-al-campamento-guapinol-en-defensa-del-agua-y-la-vida/
[14] https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-america-latina-42030850
The Migrant Caravan: a powerful demonstration of Central American peoples against capitalist barbarism
