A caravan of approximately 7,000 immigrants from Honduras is making its way north towards the Mexican border. The group left San Pedro Sula, Honduras on October 13 due to the violence and lack of opportunities in their country. Drugs, gangs, and corruption are also driving  citizens out of their country. Second only to El Salvador, Honduras has one of the highest homicide rates in the world, with a staggering 56.2 murders per 10,000 people, according to The World Bank.

As immigrants reached the southern Mexican border, people camped on the bridge connecting Guatemala and Tapachula, Mexico for about three days. The Mexican authorities refused to let anyone without a proper visa enter the country. Officials checked paperwork for each individual, allowing approximately 300 to enter, with thousands still remaining on the bridge.

After two days, tension began to grow between the migrants and the Mexican federal police. “They can’t turn back because they have nothing to go back to,” said Anna Hofelt, a Sanderson sophomore. “Their country doesn’t have the resources, money, or government to allow its citizens to prosper.”  Some threw rocks, and officials responded with tear gas. Worried they might get turned back by immigration officials, anxious migrants resorted to jumping into the river beneath them.

Improvised rafts carried jumping migrants to the border, while some swam across the Suchiate River. “What these people are going through is just awful. They are trying to get someplace safe where they can work and provide for their families,” stated Sanderson sophomore, Mia Huffman

After crossing Guatemala and Mexico, many have plans on reaching the United States.

why? details…. this is a confusing sentence, and without evidence might come off as a little callused.