A caravan of approximately 3,000 migrants began its journey north from southern Mexico Tuesday, timing their departure with the U.S. presidential election that pits immigration hardliner Donald Trump against Vice President Kamala Harris.
The group assembled in Tapachula, Chiapas state’s capital, displaying banners reading “NO MORE MIGRANT BLOOD” and carrying images of the Virgin of Guadalupe. The city has become one of Mexico’s most dangerous for migrants, who frequently face targeting by organized crime.
“We want U.S. authorities to see us, to see that we are people who want to work, not to harm anyone,” said Honduran Roy Murillo, traveling with his two children and pregnant wife. He described failed attempts to secure asylum appointments through the U.S. Customs and Border Protection mobile app.
The caravan strategy reflects growing security concerns among migrants. “I’m afraid to travel alone with my family. Here, the cartels either kidnap you or kill you. That’s why we’re coming in the caravan,” Murillo explained. Previous such groups, formed for safety in numbers, have typically dispersed before reaching the U.S. border.
Venezuelan migrant Thais, 28, joined the caravan with her husband and three-year-old daughter, speaking on condition of surname anonymity due to safety concerns. “I feel suffocated here. That’s why we decided to leave,” she said. “I wish Mr. Trump and Ms. Kamala would see that we are human beings, that we want to live and support our families.”
The timing underscores immigration’s central role in the U.S. presidential contest between Harris, seeking to become the first female president, and Trump, campaigning on stricter border policies. Similar caravans in recent years have highlighted the ongoing humanitarian challenges along the migration route to the United States.
Tapachula, a mandatory crossing point for tens of thousands of migrants annually, has seen escalating violence in recent months according to official data, adding urgency to migrants’ decisions to travel in large groups for protection.
