- A caravan of roughly 400 to 600 migrants departed Tapachula, Chiapas, walking north toward the US border through southern Mexico
- Most migrants are from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, with many citing unemployment and the search for work as their reason for leaving
- The US Department of Homeland Security issued a firm warning that the caravan will not be permitted to enter the United States
A caravan of several hundred migrants is moving north through the Mexican state of Chiapas, with participants saying widespread joblessness at home left them with little choice but to walk.
Source: Getty Images
Footage circulating on social media shows the group departing Tapachula in heavy rain, carrying a banner and navigating the Pacific coastal highway in the direction of Huixtla.
The caravan has operated under two names: "Sin Fronteras" (Without Borders) and, more recently, "Fe y Esperanza" (Faith and Hope). Estimates of its size range from approximately 400 to more than 600 people, with nationalities drawn primarily from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, alongside smaller numbers from Nicaragua and other countries.
Why migrants are on the move
Interviews conducted along the route make clear that economic hardship is the dominant reason for departing. Olvin Colin, a 38-year-old Honduran travelling with his four-year-old son, told the Associated Press he left because he was "overwhelmed by the lack of employment."
Another Honduran migrant, Gabriela Macias, framed the group's appeal in direct terms in a viral video:
"The only thing we want is for the president of Mexico to open the way for us so we can get ahead, to work as well."
The economic context in Honduras is significant. More than two million people faced employment difficulties as of May, according to a labour-market bulletin cited by the country's human-rights commissioner.
A 2026 study concluded that "economic and labour market deterioration is the dominant channel driving emigration" from Central America.
US Government Response
Washington's position has been stated without qualification. The Department of Homeland Security posted on X that:
"There is absolutely ZERO chance this caravan will be allowed into the United States. We will protect our borders — America is a nation, not an economic zone." DHS added that Border Patrol is tracking the group and warned that anyone who attempts to enter the country without authorisation will be "apprehended, prosecuted, and removed."
The caravan's formation roughly two weeks before the US midterm elections has sharpened the political dimensions of the story.
Some participants have indicated openly that they hope a shift in the political climate in Washington might improve their prospects.
Mexican authorities, for their part, have repeatedly dismantled similar caravans moving through the country's southern states, and organisers are reportedly planning a larger caravan for November.
The group still faces more than a thousand miles of road before reaching the US border, with Oaxaca as the next significant milestone on a route that remains uncertain at every stage.
US mass deportations
Elsewhere, the US Department of Homeland Security confirmed that more than 25,000 migrants were deported to 28 countries other than their own.
The department said the removals followed requests from the migrants’ home governments.
The announcement shines a light on the scale of President Donald Trump’s deportation programme and the unusual diplomatic arrangements behind it.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
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