About 3,000 migrants headed to the US southern border on foot on Sunday, some expressing a desire to reach the US before the November election and a possible victory for Donald Trump.
A caravan of potential crossers from 12 Latin American countries set out on the journey from Mexico’s southern border, hoping to seek asylum in the United States before President Donald Trump wins reelection and tightens the border.
“we, [to cross the border] “They might stop us,” said Miguel Salazar, a Salvadoran migrant.
He said he was concerned that a Trump administration would block asylum seekers from making appointments through the app to legally enter the U.S. by scheduling interviews at border crossings where migrants can appeal for asylum.
The app, called “CBP One,” would start working as soon as migrants set foot in Mexico City or other northern Mexican states.
“Everybody wants to take that route,” said Salazar, 37.
Oswaldo Reyna, a 55-year-old Cuban immigrant, had even harsher words for Trump, disagreeing with the Republican candidate’s claim that immigrants are trying to “invade” the United States.
“We’re not bad guys,” he said.
“We are hardworking people who left the country to get ahead because we are suffering a lot of hardships back home.”
Both Trump and his running mate, Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio, have vowed to crack down on immigration if elected.
With President Biden announcing on Sunday that he was withdrawing his reelection bid, it is unclear who the 78-year-old Trump will face in the crucial election.
Biden, 81, has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to run for president instead, but she still needs to win the nomination from her party’s members.
The Biden administration, including Harris, has faced significant criticism over weak border policies that have allowed record numbers of migrants to enter the United States.
The 3,000-person caravan left the Mexican town of Ciudad Hidalgo on the border with Guatemala, and some had been waiting there for weeks, hoping to receive permits to move further north.
With post wire.
