By Giovanni Galvez

Staff Writer

   On Sunday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents fired tear gas at asylum seekers attempting to cross the border into the United States from Tijuana, Mexico.

  “We were just supposed to just put pressure on [the U.S.] so we could get asylum faster,” Yesica Flores, a Honduran migrant, explained to the Washington Post. “But there were some people who got out of control I think, and wanted to force their way in.”

  In their journey to seek asylum and refuge in the United States,  7,000 migrants originating from Honduras travelled through El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico City before arriving in Tijuana.

  For the migrants seeking asylum, America appears to be the land for which they will start a better future for the next generations to come; a future without poverty, kidnapping, and corruption in control like their homeland. Traveling through rivers, forest, and cities has made the journey lengthy and dangerous. Some migrants of the caravan have died from injuries or other altercations, and many young kids and women have been kidnapped.

  “I cannot believe we actually made it here. The trip was so tiring,” said Andy Albaringa, 23, a Salvadorian migrant, after arriving in Mexico City.

  For some at the time, finding sanctuary in Mexico seemed like a satisfying outcome in their goal of eventually reaching the United States. Mexico City turned an athletic stadium into a shelter for 5,000 migrants and had doctors and dentists on hand to provide free health check-ups. However, most migrants were determined to push forward.

  “We’re sick from the temperature changes,” said 27-year-old laborer and migrant Wilson Alexander Mejia to AFP. “But we’re determined to reach the border and beyond.”

  Once word got to the United States and news outlets gave reports on the progress and size of the caravan, media all across America focused on President Trump and the possible actions he would take in response.

   “[The caravan]  that is an assault on our country…. And in that caravan, there are some very bad people…. I’m talking to a lot of your people and they are going to build a wall.” stated President Trump during a speech in Houston.

  On Oct. 31, President Trump announced that he would order over 5,000 American soldiers to the southern border to support Border Patrol agents in deterring the caravan. Despite this, most migrants of the caravan still maintain their persistence and hope.

   “We have to fight, we have to give it a try,” stated Agustín Ramírez, a Honduran sawmill worker, told The New York Times. “God moves mountains.”