On Monday, hours before President Donald Trump was sworn into office, a caravan of more than 2,000 migrants set off from the southern hinterland of Mexico to cross the United States.
A caravan of men, women and children from various countries was seen marching through Tapachula, a city in southern Mexico near the Guatemalan border, in the dark early Monday morning. Migrants were seen carrying bags and backpacks, and migrant parents were seen pushing their children in strollers or carrying them on their shoulders.
This is at least the 10th largest caravan to leave Tapachula since the U.S. presidential election, according to Border Report. It takes an adult migrant about 16 days of continuous walking to reach the southern border.
Migrants march toward the U.S. border from a caravan in Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico, on January 20, 2025. (ISAAC GUZMAN/AFP via Getty Images)
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The caravan continues to march even though President Trump signed a flurry of executive orders on Monday to crack down on illegal immigration. It also declared a state of border emergency.
In one order, President Trump directed the federal government to resume construction on the border wall, which had been largely dormant under the Biden administration. The order also ended Biden-era parole policies, including the use of the CBP One app to parole immigrants into the United States.
Elkin Torres, a Colombian immigrant who is part of the caravan, said he believes President Trump's actions cannot replace the United Nations and presumes that the right to seek asylum is Trump's right. Ta.
“Even if Donald Trump comes to power, he won't be able to surpass the United Nations, you understand? United as one,” Torres told Reuters.
“The world is whole and supports us because the cause is one: better economic security and a better future for the children in it.”
Maria Reidis, another immigrant from Cuba, said the new U.S. administration will continue to offer immigrants a path to the U.S. even though the CBP One app is offline.
President Donald Trump presents his second executive order during the inaugural parade inside Capital One Arena on Inauguration Day for his second term in Washington, DC, January 20, 2025. (Reuters/Carlos Barria)
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“Well, it's very sad because our goal is to get in, but it breaks my heart to know that they won't let us in,” she told Reuters. “But if we don't get through this CBP One application, he's going to set us up another path and we're going to get in there.”
Because it is difficult or impossible for immigration officials to detain large groups of hundreds of migrants, migrants form caravans because they believe they are safer in numbers. Some hope to ride in vehicles to help them make the journey, while others make the arduous journey on foot to the southern border in the scorching heat.
Many caravans break up after walking for several days, but the Mexican government is trying to break up the caravans as President Trump promises to impose huge tariffs on Mexico if the influx cannot be stopped. It is said that
Elsewhere, migrants waiting for appointments through an app were stranded at various locations on the Mexican side of the southern border.
Migrants were seen carrying bags and backpacks, and migrant parents were seen pushing their children in strollers or carrying them on their shoulders. (ISAAC GUZMAN/AFP via Getty Images)
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Similar to the suspension of the CBP One app, President Trump ordered the agency to reinstate the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), also known as the Remain in Mexico policy. A policy from President Trump's first term, which was ended by the Biden administration, required migrants to remain in Mexico during their asylum hearings.
Another order directed the deployment of U.S. forces to the border under the command of U.S. Northern Command to prioritize U.S. borders and territorial integrity in strategic planning.
President Trump also designated international cartels and organizations, including MS-13 and the Bloodthirsty Torren de Aragua, as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT). The FTO designation allows for targeted action against members, including financial penalties.
Reuters contributed to this report.
