About 1,500 people are forming a caravan in southern Mexico, hoping to immigrate to the United States. Migrants in the caravan say they hope to reach the U.S.-Mexico border and get permission to enter the U.S. before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January.
It’s the latest in what’s been an annual process each fall since 2018, as the weather cools off.
People from countries in Central America have traveled in groups to make it more difficult for Mexico’s government to arrest or deport them, and to avoid having to pay traffickers to get them to the border.
But the journey has often been dangerous. Often times, drug cartels have threatened and abducted migrants as they make their way toward the U.S.
Policy changes by the Biden administration created a process where migrants need to make appointments on U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s CBP One app for their chance to be processed.
However, people in the caravan still want to be close to the border to avoid missing their appointments.
Trump has pledged a strict crackdown on migrants. He’s said he’s looking to get rid of rules that allow many to temporarily stay in the country.
He’s also planning to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, in a plan that includes government raids and the use of detention camps.
Another caravan traveling earlier this month broke up after news emerged of Trump’s win. Roughly half of the people in the nearly 3,000-person caravan turned back in the days after the election.
