Reveal What the Lord Has Done
Latin America’s Iconic Caravan Steeped in Violence and Poverty
Migrant caravans are large processions that move together in search of safety, political stability, or better economic opportunities. Many people from Central America are heading north toward the United States. Most immigrants come from Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador, saying they have experienced violence, poverty, and persecution in their home countries. Poverty, violence, lack of economic opportunities for sustainable livelihoods, and food insecurity are among the primary reasons they leave Central America.
As more and more Central American immigrants move in larger groups for safety, their numbers show no sign of decreasing. There are no clear statistics on how many people are migrating from Central America to the United States. According to the U.S. Immigration Policy Institute, about 85% of the 3.4 million Central Americans living in the U.S. are from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.
According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, more than 450,000 people arrived at the U.S. border in 2020 following the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, at least 1.7 million people were either repatriated or detained at the U.S.-Mexico border, nearly four times the previous year’s number. More than 189,000 people arrived at the U.S. border in June 2021 alone, marking the highest number of arrivals within a single month in over 20 years.
Every day, thousands of people from Central America leave their countries in search of a better future, with some risking their lives. They embark on perilous journeys in search of safe shelter. Many arrive at the border with nothing but the clothes on their backs, suffering severe trauma along the way, and requiring urgent assistance.
Many people in Central America are continually being forced to leave their homes. They have fled El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to escape violence, threats, extortion, forced prostitution, and sexual violence by criminal groups. Due to instability, poverty, natural disasters, and the socio-economic effects of COVID-19, many people are abandoning their homelands and seeking new paths.
Every day, hundreds of cases of kidnapping, sexual violence, torture, threats, theft, and assault occur against people who are stranded at the U.S.-Mexico border or deported back to Mexico after their attempt to enter the U.S. failed.
The United States is working with Mexico to address the problems involving refugees from Latin America and is in continuous discussions with Guatemala regarding refugee policies. This is because refugees from Latin America must pass through Guatemala to reach the U.S. In other words, while Mexico serves as the last line of defense against migrants, Guatemala acts as the first barrier from the U.S. perspective.
Guatemalan military and police have used tear gas to disperse migrant groups attempting to enter, and those who managed to cross the border were detained by Guatemalan border authorities and forcibly deported again.
Meanwhile, since April 2018, approximately 200,000 Nicaraguans have fled to Costa Rica to escape political persecution and human rights abuses. More Nicaraguans have sought asylum in Costa Rica since 2018 than during the Central American civil wars of the 1980s.
》Scripture Prayer
Psalm 90:10-13, 16-17(NIV)
10 Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
11 If only we knew the power of your anger! Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due.
12 Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
13 Relent, LORD! How long will it be? Have compassion on your servants.
16 May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children.
17 May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.
Philippians 3:20(NIV)
20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the LORD Jesus Christ.
》Pray that the Word may become the Conclusion.
1. Let us pray for the Latin American caravan as they cross borders to escape violence and poverty.They dream of a better life in the U.S., but life on earth is short and full of struggles. Let us pray that they may realize this and place their hope in the Lord.
2. The people in the caravan left their homes to survive, yet they are not welcomed anywhere.
Let us pray that they may find comfort and peace in the Lord.
Let us also pray that they may realize our true home is in God’s kingdom and that they too may become His children.
3. Let us pray that churches in Latin America may share the gospel even in poverty and danger.
Let us pray that the gospel of the cross may be preached so that people may receive eternal life. Let us also pray that neighboring countries may embrace refugees with the heart of the Lord and serve them with Christ’s love.
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