Soon after Mexico’s government dissolved a migrant caravan that was moving north, a new caravan departed from the country’s southern border. The migrants expressed their final goal of reaching the border with the United States before President-Elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20.
The new caravan started on Monday early morning in Tapachula, Chiapas, where approximately 2,000 migrants began their journey north toward Mexico City. Their ultimate goal was to reach the U.S. border before the start of the new Trump administration. The rush for the border comes after the U.S. president-elect campaigned on implementing a hard line on the immigration issue in Mexico.
Migrants line up outside of a convenience store waiting for the caravan to start. (Credit: Breitbart Texas / Cartel Chronicles)
The migrants began the journey in the early morning and walked most of the day, stopping only to rest at certain points, such as the town of Huixtla. There, they rested for over an hour at a local park before continuing their journey.
Migrants walk during the early morning hours as the caravan begins. (Credit: Breitbart Texas / Cartel Chronicles
During the journey, one migrant who spoke with Breitbart, Texas, but asked not to be named, claimed that Mexican immigration agents had offered him a 15-day travel permit for $500 USD. The permit allows him to travel by bus or plane to any border city. The migrant said that he had been told that those permits are usually only given to migrants who already have a scheduled appointment on the CBP One app and are free, but the wait time for an appointment can be months. The agents told him that for the $500, he could get the permit on the spot without waiting and that he could make it to the border before Trump took office.
A migrant shows his travel documents as he tells Breitbart Texas about how Mexican authorities tried to sell him other travel documents. (Credit: Breitbart Texas / Cartel Chronicles)
The start of the new caravan came just two days after Mexican authorities dissolved another caravan moving through southern Mexico. They offered them bus transportation, aid packages, and help filling out their asylum claims. As Breitbart Texas reported, Mexican immigration authorities tried to dispel allegations of having ended the caravan by force or threat of force, claiming to have offered the migrants only aid and transportation.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.