A caravan of roughly 2,000 migrants is making its way to the United States from southern Mexico, just weeks ahead of the upcoming presidential election.
The group consists of migrants from various countries, including Venezuela, Haiti, Honduras, and some from African nations. The caravan departed from the southern Mexican city of Tapachula and is headed toward the US southern border, according to a report by the Associated Press. The migrants are reportedly moving with urgency, driven by fears that immigration laws and border policies could tighten if the current administration changes after the election.
“That is what makes us fearful. They say this could change because they could both close the CBP One appointment and all the services that are helping migrants,” Venezuelan migrant Joel Zambrano said, according to the AP.
The surge in migrants via large caravans is partly due to the lack of job opportunities in southern Mexico, as the region faces an influx of foreigners. Delays in securing asylum appointments have also pushed migrants to leave and head north.
“The situation in my country is very bad, the president doesn’t do anything for us. We spent a week by the border, but getting documents takes time,” a Honduran national said. “The documents we get are only for us to be in Tapachula and we cannot leave the city.”
This caravan is the third and largest since Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum took office. Earlier this month, a group of 800 and another of 600 migrants left the region. The Associated Press also noted that an estimated 40,000 migrants are stranded in southern Mexico.
