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 U.S. immigration politics.
A spokesperson for Chiapas state security told Reuters that while the migrant caravan continues north, some families are choosing to turn back to Tapachula, near the Guatemalan border.
Migrants, who are part of a caravan heading toward 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 northward 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 6-year-old daughter, intent on reaching the US.
Human rights activists say migrants will continue to arrive to the US southern border.
“People will seek new paths; it’ll be more dangerous, but it won’t stop them,” said Heyman Vázquez, a Catholic priest and pro-migrant activist in Chiapas.
Reuters