Migrants from Central America, Venezuela, Cuba and other countries marched in Mexico toward the United States border Sunday ahead of Secretary of State Antony Blinken's arrival in the country to discuss migrant issues.
According to multiple social media posts, more than 5,000 migrants started an organized march, which was expected to be joined by 10,000 more people by the time they arrive at the U.S. border.
A post on X, formerly known as Twitter, shared a video of the march, where migrants including women and kids can be seen walking with their luggage.
An organized caravan of about 5,000 migrants from Tapachula, Mexico has just left for the US southern border.
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) December 24, 2023
This caravan is expected to reach 15,000 people in size by the time they arrive.
The invasion is getting worse.pic.twitter.com/xCmxymchkV
The caravan, led by activist Luis Rey García Villagrán, started from the city of Tapachula, near the country's southern border with Guatemala on Sunday.
One of the migrants named Cristian Rivera, who was traveling alone and had left his wife and kid in Honduras, said, "We've been waiting here for three or four months without an answer. Hopefully with this march there will be a change and we can get the permission we need to head north," AP News reported.
The march came seven months after Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador agreed to let migrants in from nations such as Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. These included migrants who were turned away from the U.S. because they reportedly did not follow the new rules of asylum and migration.
However, Obrador's deal was not enough as the number of migrants saw a rise, disrupting trade and increasing anti-immigration sentiments.
Obrador said last week that he was willing to work with the U.S. to address the migration issue. However, he asked the Biden administration to first ease the sanctions the U.S. placed on the Cuba and Venezuela governments.
"That is what we are going to discuss, it is not just contention," the Mexican president said.
Obrador's statement came after the White House disclosed on Dec. 14 that Biden had asked Blinken; Alejandro Mayorkas, U.S. secretary of Homeland Security, and White House Homeland Security Advisor Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall to visit Mexico and meet the former in person to further discuss and take the actions needed from both ends of the border.
The White House also revealed that President Joe Biden talked to his Mexican counterpart on call on the same day and both of them agreed to take additional enforcement actions at their shared border to manage the movement of migrants who are crossing.
The delegation from the U.S. will meet the Mexican president on Wednesday.
The surge in migrants occurred after the Biden administration launch an online appointment system earlier this year to allow migrants to claim asylum. More than 44,000 people have reached Mexico with the appointment since January.
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