A group of 2,000 migrants advance through southern Mexico in hopes of reaching the US

TAPACHULA, Mexico (AP) — A group of 2,000 migrants from dozens of countries set out on foot Tuesday through southern Mexico as they attempt to reach the U.S., although recent similar attempts have failed, with groups disbanding after a few days without leaving the region.

Several members of the group said they hoped to reach the U.S. before the November presidential election as they fear that if Donald Trump wins, he will follow through on a promise to close the border to asylum-seekers.

Entire families, women with baby strollers, children accompanied by their parents and adults started walking before sunrise from Tapachula, considered the primary access point to Mexico’s southern border, in an effort to avoid the high temperatures. They hoped to advance 40 kilometers (24 miles).

Several hundred migrants left the Suchiate River on Sunday, a natural border with Guatemala and Mexico, encouraged by a call to join a caravan that began to spread on social media a couple of weeks earlier.

The formation of the new caravan comes at the heels of U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the 2024 race for the White House. While some migrants said they weren’t aware of Biden’s announcement, many said they feared that if Trump was elected their situation would become more complicated.

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