Group of 2,000 Migrants in Southern Mexico Depart for the US Weeks Before Election

In Tapachula, Mexico, a group of approximately 2,000 migrants embarked on a journey from Mexico’s southern border with hopes of reaching the northern part of the country and eventually the United States. This development comes just weeks before the U.S. presidential election, where immigration has been a prominent issue.

Some migrants, including Venezuelan Joel Zambrano, are optimistic that a new administration in the United States could bring an end to asylum appointments through the online system known as CBP One. Zambrano expressed concerns that the services assisting migrants could be impacted if changes were made.

The combination of a lack of job opportunities in southern Mexico due to an influx of newcomers and delays in asylum appointments in the United States have motivated several groups of migrants to leave the region in recent weeks.

This group departing on Sunday marks the third and largest exodus since the inauguration of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who has not yet made any alterations to the immigration policies set by her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Earlier in October, groups of 800 and 600 migrants had also left the region.