Hundreds Of Migrants Begin Trek Toward US In Hopes Of Crossing Border Before November Election

Hundreds of migrants from multiple countries have formed a caravan in southern Mexico in an attempt to reach the U.S. border before a possible second Trump administration, The Associated Press reported Monday.

The migrants, who are from more than a dozen countries, departed from Ciudad Hidalgo in southern Mexico, right next to the Guatemala border, on Sunday, with many expressing a desire to reach the U.S. border before the U.S. presidential election in November, according to the AP. The concern among many of the migrants is that if former President Donald Trump wins a second term, he might fulfill his pledge to shut the border to asylum-seekers.

Some of the migrants have expressed concern over the possibility that a new administration could halt the ability to schedule appointments with U.S. authorities via the CBP One application, according to the AP. The CBP One app only works once migrants reach Mexico City or states in northern Mexico and helps them secure appointments at the U.S. border posts, where they present their cases to officials.

Migrants form the caravans to cross Mexico in order to minimize the threat of gang attacks and to limit pushback from authorities during their journey, according to the AP. However, these caravans often break up in southern Mexico as the migrants get tired of walking.

Trump has repeatedly voiced concern over the huge influx of migrants that have entered the country illegally via the southern border, citing instances of migrants involved in serious crimes and vowing to conduct the largest deportation operation in U.S. history.