Abstract

This paper analyses news articles covering the clashes between the migrant caravan and border authorities at the Mexico–United States border in American and Central American print media outlets. On the 26th of November 2018, the migrant caravan, who had walked from Central America towards the United States, was stopped by American authorities with the use of rubber bullets and tear gas. This paper examines the language used in newspapers to address the issue, as well as the actors involved with it. This is carried out through analysis in terms of transitivity and vocabulary. The results show an overall depiction of the clashes as a cause–effect event in which the migrants took actions first. This put the actions taken by the border authorities as adequate and expected given what caused them.