Last January, a caravan of migrants left Honduras and El Salvador. They were traveling north to seek asylum in the United States–but they were stopped by Mexican authorities at the border with Guatemala. Many were violently attacked after attempting to cross into Mexico. Some were deported. Others were promised jobs, only to be brought to detention centers where they were held in deplorable conditions. All now face the additional threat of COVID-19 as they wait for a chance to resume their search for asylum. 

No one is served by locking up millions of people behind bars. But right now, more than 2.3 million people are incarcerated—a disproportionate number of whom are Black and Latinx.