Shortly after the Mexican government broke up a migrant caravan heading north, a new caravan departed from the country's southern border. The migrants have stated their ultimate goal is to reach the U.S. border in time for President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20.
The new caravan departed early Monday morning in Tapachula, Chiapas, with about 2,000 migrants beginning their journey north toward Mexico City. Their ultimate goal was to reach the U.S. border before the new Trump administration took office. The rush to the border comes after the U.S. president-elect campaigned on taking a hard line on Mexican immigration.
Migrants line up outside convenience stores, waiting for the caravan to depart. (Credit: Breitbart Texas/Cartel Chronicles)
The migrants started their journey early in the morning and continued walking for most of the day, stopping only at certain points, such as the town of Huistra. There they rested for over an hour at a local park before continuing their journey.
Migrants walk during the early morning hours when the caravan begins. (Credit: Breitbart Texas/Cartel Chronicles
During the trip, a Texas immigrant who spoke to Breitbart on condition of anonymity claimed that Mexican immigration officials offered him a 15-day permit for $500. The permit allows him to travel to border cities by bus or plane. The immigrant said he was told that these permits are typically only given to immigrants who already have an appointment on the CBP One app and are free, but that it could take several months to get an appointment. Officials told them that if they paid $500, they could get a permit on the spot without waiting and could arrive at the border before Trump took office.
A migrant tells Breitbart, Texas, how Mexican authorities tried to sell him other travel documents while showing his travel documents. (Credit: Breitbart Texas/Cartel Chronicles)
The start of the new caravan comes just two days after Mexican authorities broke up another caravan moving through southern Mexico. They provided them with bus transportation, aid packages and help filling out asylum applications. As Breitbart Texas reported, Mexican immigration authorities sought to dispel allegations that they ended the caravan by force or threat of force, insisting they only provided aid and transportation to the migrants.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist at Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Breitbart, Texas Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and Breitbart's senior management team. you can follow him Twitter And even more facebook. He can be contacted at: iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Breitbart, Texas Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and Breitbart's senior management team. follow him Twitter and facebook. He can be contacted at: bdarby@breitbart.com.
