Central American migrants have newfound empowerment to organize and flee their home countries in large groups, with instant communication to guide their long journeys.
Why it matters: Those caravans provide the protection of numbers and eliminate many of the dangers and costs associated with hiring smugglers.
- And they've become a popular and strategically orchestrated method of migration for Central Americans in search of safety or a better life in the U.S. — a phenomenon spurred by social media, the AP reports.
Between the lines: The "caravans" began primarily as protests a few years ago. Very few members of the original caravans actually made it to the U.S. border.
- But last fall — amid the Trump administration's ongoing immigration crackdown — hundreds of Central Americans actually arrived at the U.S. border.
- Ever since, smaller "caravans" have been setting off from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.
- Social media is the engine: They are often advertised on Facebook and organized through WhatsApp group chats, the AP reports, where migrants make plans, give advice and communicate with loved ones. It's unclear who — if ever the same people — head up the operation.
A look inside a caravan WhatsApp chat, as reported by the AP:
- "Group, in Mexico can you find someone to take you to the other side?"
- "What papers do I need for my kids?"
- "Remember that in Mexico there are a lot of kidnappings.”
- "This dude works with the Zetas, a friend of mine from Olancho told me he knows him and that he’s still with them." Sent with a photo of an alleged criminal.
- "There are no coordinators, that’s what people have to say so there aren’t problems."
- "Another is leaving April 30, Salvadoran friends."
The bottom line: Social media continues to transform our world — mobilizing anti-government uprisings, a new brand of celebrity, fake news and even effective, new methods of mass migration.
