In the southern region of Mexico, a caravan of hundreds of migrants from a variety of nations has assembled with the aim of reaching the U.S. border.
This move is seen as a race against time, as they hope to arrive before a potential second term of the Trump administration, as reported by The Associated Press on Monday.
According to the Daily Caller, the migrants, hailing from over a dozen countries, embarked on their journey from Ciudad Hidalgo, located adjacent to the Guatemala border. Their departure took place on Sunday, with many expressing their intent to reach the U.S. border prior to the U.S. presidential election in November. The prevailing apprehension among the migrants is the potential fulfillment of former President Donald Trump's promise to close the border to asylum-seekers if he secures a second term.
A portion of these migrants have voiced worries about the potential impact a new administration could have on their ability to schedule meetings with U.S. authorities through the CBP One application. This app, which becomes operational once migrants reach Mexico City or northern Mexican states, aids them in securing appointments at U.S. border posts, where they present their cases to officials.
The formation of these caravans is a strategic move by the migrants to traverse Mexico, as it helps to mitigate the risk of gang attacks and reduces resistance from authorities during their journey. However, these caravans often disintegrate in southern Mexico as the migrants succumb to fatigue.
Former President Trump has consistently expressed his concern over the significant influx of migrants entering the country illegally via the southern border. He has highlighted instances of migrants involved in serious crimes and pledged to execute the largest deportation operation in U.S. history.
The Biden administration has faced criticism for its perceived failure to adequately curb the flow of illegal migrants. Since President Biden took office, there have been over 9.5 million migrant encounters nationwide, with more than 7.8 million occurring at the southern border.
In an attempt to manage the situation, President Biden signed an executive order in June to limit the number of asylum requests that can be considered per week for migrants attempting to enter the U.S. from the southern border.
Despite these measures, the number of migrant encounters at official ports of entry remains high. In June, there were more than 117,000 such encounters, according to Customs and Border Protection data, a figure nearly identical to the approximately 119,000 encounters in May. The persistence of these high numbers underscores the ongoing challenges faced by the U.S. in managing its southern border.
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