Fear and Loathing on the Caravan Trail.

• Position: MEDICINE & HEALTH

The narrative is that thousands of oppressed peoples spontaneously decided to flee a murderous, corrupt government in Central America, and walk to the U.S. to plead for asylum and begin to work hard for a better life in the U.S.

We see photos of a mass of walking people, including women, some carrying babies. There are photos of a resting crowd, some tending to infants. Some are waving flags of the purportedly evil regimes they are fleeing. Some are receiving cash from men in white t-shirts. Some reportedly are receiving gifts of sandals or food from charitable Mexicans--but there are some questions.

The distance from Honduras to the U.S. border is about 2,000 miles, and from Mexico City to the border is about 1,000 miles. How far can... let's say... soldiers on a forced march travel in a day--day after day? How about an impoverished woman carrying a baby?

Where is the supply caravan? People are not carrying heavy backpacks full of provisions. It is said that an army marches on its stomach. What about these people? No sanitary facilities are visible. What does the trail look like after the crowd has passed? What happens to people who faint or just cannot walk any farther? Are they being trampled and left on the ground? Are Doctors Without Borders on the scene?

Apparently, Mexican police tried to stop the throng on the southern border, but the barrier violently was torn down and officers assaulted. The migrants got around a blockade on a bridge --some by swimming. It is understandable that 1,000 federates could not stop a mass of several thousand, at least if not willing to fire on a multitude that puts women and children in front. So, what to do?

Some people in the caravan are drug smugglers, terrorists, and human traffickers. Many...