Central American migrants head to Europe in wake of border crackdown

In a recent article for the New York Times, Melissa Vida reports that in the wake of President Trump’s crackdown on migrants trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border, Central American migrants are increasingly seeking refuge in Europe.

Vida reports that the number seeking asylum in Europe has increased nearly 4,000 percent in the last decade “and the rate of arrivals is accelerating. Nearly 7,800 applied for asylum in Europe last year, up from 4,835 in 2017.”

The distance “may be greater, but many have found that the journey to Europe is safer and much cheaper than paying smugglers to get through Mexico to the United States,” writes Vida.