The Monarch butterfly journey is an incredible multi-generational migration where millions fly thousands of miles from North American summer breeding grounds to overwintering sites in Mexico or California, using the sun and magnetic fields to navigate, relying on a special "super-generation" for the long southbound trip, and then completing the cycle with successive generations returning north, all while depending on milkweed for food and habitat

Why the Monarch Butterfly?

• Long Migration: Like many migrants, monarch butterflies undertake a multi-generational journey across vast distances, often fleeing harsh conditions for warmer, safer havens. It has been seen in the U.S.-Mexico border context, where it flies from Mexico to Canada and back.
• Symbol of Transformation: The butterfly's life cycle (caterpillar, chrysalis, butterfly) symbolizes change, hope, and rebirth, fitting for those seeking new lives.
• Cultural Significance: The butterfly's arrival in Mexico coincides with the Day of the Dead, linking it to Indigenous traditions and ancestral journeys.
• Activism: The symbol represents dignity and the universal right to move freely.

The monarch's journey serves as a natural, beautiful metaphor for the human experience of migration, making it a poignant emblem for asylum seekers and immigrant rights movements.