Mexico’s migrant caravan shrinks to half its size after Trump victory

Tapachula, Mexico: A caravan of thousands of migrants travelling through Mexico with the hope of reaching the US shrunk to about half its original size as many migrants grappled with their prospects following Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election.

Trump clinched the win after a campaign that promised large-scale deportations of undocumented migrants and a return to fast-tracked deportations to Mexico.

Venezuelan migrant Jonathan Morales Aguilar appeals for humanitarian aid for people of a migrant caravan walking along the Huixtla highway in southern Mexico.Credit: AP

An official from Mexico’s National Migration Institute said the caravan had dwindled to less than 1600 people, down from 3000 when it set out from the southern city of Tapachula on Tuesday.

In recent years, several caravans with people hoping to enter the United States have attempted to reach the US-Mexican border, travelling in mass groups for safety.

“We want US authorities to see us, to see that we are people who want to work, not to harm anyone,” said Honduran migrant Roy Murillo, who joined the caravan with his two children and his pregnant wife.

“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 said.

Tapachula, a mandatory crossing point for tens of thousands of migrants, has become one of Mexico’s most violent cities in recent months, with migrants frequently targeted by organised crime, according to official data.

“I feel suffocated here. That’s why we decided to leave,” said 28-year-old Venezuelan migrant Thais, who spoke on condition that her surname not be used due to safety concerns.

She joined the caravan with her husband and three-year-old daughter.

“I wish Mr Trump and Ms Kamala would see that we are human beings, that we want to live and support our families,” she said on the eve of the election.

Just over 100 people asked for help from authorities to return to Tapachula near the Guatemalan border after Trump won, the official said. It was unclear where the rest of the caravan were headed.

Many felt less hopeful about their chance at a new life in the United States.

“I had hoped [Kamala Harris] would win, but that didn’t happen,” said Valerie Andrade, another Venezuelan migrant travelling from Chiapas to Oaxaca in southern Mexico.

Nayely Nunez, from Honduras, uses her luggage to carry a child as she walks along the road heading towards Mexico’s northern border.Credit: AP

Andrade, along with her husband, and like more than 7 million other Venezuelans, left her crisis-ridden country seeking better prospects.

Trump’s proposed immigration policies also include ending birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants.

During his previous administration, between 2017 and 2021, Trump put in place policies that left hundreds of thousands of migrants stranded in camps along the Mexican border, reshaping US immigration politics.

A spokesperson for Chiapas state security said that while the migrant caravan continued north, some families were choosing to turn back to Tapachula.

Migrants, who are part of a caravan heading towards the country’s northern border and ultimately the United States, rest on the outskirts of Escuintla, southern Mexico.Credit: AP

But for many, the journey northwards persists.

Venezuelan migrant Jeilimar, who requested that her last name be withheld for her safety, remains hopeful her appointment to seek asylum via the US Customs and Border Protection app, CBP One, will come through before Trump assumes office in January.

“With God’s favour, I’ll get that appointment,” she said, as she travelled with her six-year-old daughter, intent on reaching the US.

Human rights activists say migrants will continue to arrive at the country’s southern border.

“People will seek new paths; it’ll be more dangerous, but it won’t stop them,” said Heyman Vazquez, a Catholic priest and pro-migrant activist in Chiapas.

Reuters

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