Just a few hours before President Donald Trump was sworn in on Monday, a migrant caravan of more than 2,000 people set out from deep in southern Mexico with the goal of crossing into the US
The caravan, made up of men, women and children from various countries, was seen marching through the southern Mexican city of Tapachula near the Guatemalan border in the dark early Monday morning. Migrants carried bags and backpacks, and migrant parents could be seen pushing children in strollers or carrying youngsters on their shoulders.
It’s at least the tenth largest caravan to leave Tapachula since the US election, according to the Border Report. An adult migrant would need about 16 days of continuous walking to reach the southern border.
Migrants from a caravan in Tapachula, Chiapas state, Mexico, march as they head towards the US border on January 20, 2025. (ISAAC GUZMAN/AFP via Getty Images)
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The caravan is on the march despite Trump signing the series executive orders on Monday suppression of illegal immigration. He also declared a state of emergency at the state border.
In one order, Trump directed the federal government to continue building the border wall, which has largely been on hold under the Biden administration. The order also ended the Biden-era parole policy, including the use of the CBP One application to parole migrants to the U.S.
Erkin Torres, a migrant from Colombia who is part of the caravan, said he believes Trump’s actions cannot replace the United Nations, concluding what he believes is his right to apply for asylum.
“As Donald Trump takes power, he cannot outrun it United Nationsdo you understand? United as one,” Torres told Reuters.
The world is complete and supports us because the cause is one: better economic stability and giving a better future to those children there.
Another migrant, Maria Leidis from Cuba, said the new US administration will continue to provide a pathway for migrants to enter the US despite the shutdown of the CBP One application.
President Donald Trump unveils his second executive order during the inaugural parade at Capital One Arena on Inauguration Day of his second term as president in Washington, DC on January 20, 2025. (REUTERS/Carlos Barria)
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“Well, we’re quite sad because our goal is to get in, and knowing that they won’t let us in breaks our hearts,” she told Reuters. “But we think if not through this CBP One application, he’s going to set up another route and we’re going to get in.”
Migrants form caravans because they believe that safety in numbers is difficult or impossible for immigration detention agents for large groups of hundreds of migrants. Some are hoping to catch transport to help them on their way, while others will make the arduous journey to the southern border on foot in the scorching heat.
Many of the caravans break up after days of walking, and the Mexican government says it is trying to separate them even amid Trump’s pledge to impose huge tariffs on Mexico if it does not stem the flow.
Elsewhere, migrants waiting for an appointment through the app were left stranded at various locations along the Mexican side of the southern border.
Migrants carried bags and backpacks, and migrant parents could be seen pushing children in strollers or carrying youngsters on their shoulders. (ISAAC GUZMAN/AFP via Getty Images)
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In addition to canceling the CBP One app, Trump also ordered government agencies to restart it Protocols for the Protection of Migrants (MPP)known as the Remain-in-Mexico rule. That policy from Trump’s first term, which was ended by the Biden administration, required migrants to stay in Mexico while their asylum hearings were pending.
Another order ordered the deployment of American troops to border under the US Northern Command to prioritize US border and territorial integrity in strategic planning.
President Trump has also designated international cartels and organizations, including MS-13 and the bloodthirsty Tren de Aragua, as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs). The FTO designation enables targeted actions against members, including financial penalties.
Reuters contributed to this report.
