A caravan of approximately 3,000 migrants leaving Tapachula in southern Mexico is heading to the U.S. southern border. The group consists of people from Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Haiti, Costa Rica, Panama, Nepal, Afghanistan, and Central America, La Verdad reports.
The migrants are hoping to reach the United States before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20.
As they make the trek, some say they are leaving their countries due to danger, lack of security, limited job opportunities, and an inability to support their families.
Cartel violence, high unemployment, and economic crises in South and Central America are driving more people toward the United States.
In Tuesday’s election, immigration was a key issue for voters, after U.S. Customs and Border Protection estimated more than 10 million migrants entered the U.S. under the Biden-Harris administration. Critics argue the actual number is much higher.
Some of the migrants told The Associated Press they are scared that Mexican authorities will not allow them to reach the U.S.-Mexico border.
In the final days of his campaign, Trump warned Mexico’s newly sworn-in president, Claudia Sheinbaum, that he would impose a 25% tariff on Mexican products if migrant flows to the U.S.-Mexico border are not halted.
During a news conference Tuesday, Sheinbaum said migrant encounters at Mexico’s northern border dropped 75% from December 2023 to October 2024.
President-elect Trump has also vowed to carry out mass deportations of migrants once he is sworn in.
