Many Texas residents are aware that a caravan of immigrants from Honduras has been traveling to the U.S. border over the past several weeks. About 3,000 of the caravan's members have now made their way to Tijuana, and reports indicate that many of them plan to seek asylum in the United States. President Trump has vowed to prevent this from happening, and he issued a presidential proclamation on Nov. 7 that would deny asylum to any individuals who cross the Mexican border illegally.
Motel 6 settles lawsuit regarding guest data given to ICE
Early in November, Motel 6 agreed to pay up to $8.9 million to settle a lawsuit filed against the motel chain after the personal information of Latino guests at two Motel 6 locations in Arizona were leaked to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). According to a New York Times article, those two Motel 6 locations regularly handed over guest information without warrants, which resulted in some guests being detained or deported.
Migrant caravan spurs discussion over asylum
News outlets in Texas and around the country have been running stories about a caravan of several thousand migrants making its way through Mexico toward the United States. Many of the migrants progressing with the caravan say that they are fleeing violence in countries like Honduras and hope to claim asylum once they reach the U.S. border. This has made the asylum process a hot-button political issue in the run-up to the crucial 2018 midterm elections.