A new migrant caravan traveling through Mexico of approximately 3,000 migrants who departed from Tapachula, a southern Mexican city near the Guatemalan border, are headed towards the border in hopes of crossing before January. The caravan is one of many examples of the latest influx of migrants aiming to enter the United States before changes in U.S. immigration policies under Trump’s incoming administration.
Just two hours after President-elect Donald Trump won the 2024 election on a pledge to end illegal immigration, over 100 migrants crossed the U.S.-Mexico border near Eagle Pass, Texas. The group, consisting primarily of individuals from Central and South America, also included two migrants from Africa and about a dozen unaccompanied minors, among them two young brothers, reports ADN America. They crossed the Rio Grande River and were quickly intercepted by U.S. Border Patrol agents, who transported them by bus for processing.
Agents provided blankets to the children to ensure their safety, as night temperatures can dip in the region. Current policies under the Biden administration allow unaccompanied minors to seek asylum, a measure introduced earlier this year.
During his campaign, Trump repeatedly emphasized his intention to secure the southern border and implement what he calls a “historic” mass deportation effort aimed at undocumented individuals. In his victory speech on Wednesday morning, he promised to “fix” and “seal” U.S. borders, reinforcing his commitment to lawful immigration pathways. “We will make sure those who come to America do so legally,” he declared.
During President Joe Biden’s administration, migrant encounters at the U.S. border reached record highs. Federal data reveals over 10 million total interceptions, with the fiscal year from October 2021 to September 2022 seeing the largest annual surge, totaling over 2.2 million crossings. As the Trump administration prepares to take office, expectations are high for swift policy changes aimed at addressing the migration crisis.
