More than a thousand migrants have set out north from Tapachula in southern Mexico after the US midterm elections. Participants say their immediate destination is Mexico City, where they want government assistance and protection against detention. Donald Trump threatened to double tariffs if Mexico failed to stop migrants travelling towards the US border.
More than a thousand migrants set off north from Tapachula, a city in southern Mexico near the Guatemalan border, after the US midterm elections. The caravan left on 10 November and continued the next day. A Chiapas state government source estimated about 1,500 participants, including families. Parents carried young children in their arms, in strollers and on their shoulders as the group travelled through southern Mexico.[1], [2]
Participants said their immediate destination was Mexico City, more than 1,000 kilometres away. They wanted assistance from Mexico’s government and protection against detention while travelling towards the US border. The journey to the capital was expected to take several weeks. Tapachula is a longstanding transit point for migrants heading to the United States, where entry restrictions and deportations have left thousands stranded with limited access to work, healthcare and schools.[1]
US President Donald Trump threatened on 12 November to double tariffs if Mexico did not stop migrants crossing its territory towards the US border. He claimed that Republican losses in the midterm elections had encouraged the movement. Some caravan participants said the Democrats’ victory had given them hope of reaching the United States.[1]
