A caravan of roughly 2,000 illegal immigrants is moving through Mexico, heading towards the United States border. The group, comprising individuals from various countries, set off on January 20 from Tapachula, Mexico, coinciding with the date of President Donald J. Trump’s return to the White House. The illegal immigrants are continuing their journey despite President Trump’s moves to close the U.S. southern border and execute mass deportations of illegal immigrants already in the United States.
Moments after he was inaugurated on Monday, President Trump suspended the Department of Homeland Security’s CBP One app, which saw hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants paroled into the interior of the country under the Biden government. Additionally, military forces have been deployed at the southern border, reinforcing Trump’s commitment to enhancing border security measures.
The caravan from Tapachula is the latest in a series of similar mass migrations. Although this caravan is notable in size, it represents only a fraction of the overall illegal immigrant flow toward the U.S. border from Mexico. Historically, Mexican authorities often intervene to disperse these groups into smaller contingents. As a result, some illegal immigrants continue their journeys in smaller groups or make temporary arrangements within Mexico.
President Trump, who commenced his second term as the 47th U.S. President on January 20, has rapidly begun executing his immigration policy agenda. This includes an executive order to terminate birthright citizenship, a move likely to provoke legal challenges.
The President has also labeled certain Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and declared a national emergency at the southern border to secure funding for border wall construction without waiting for congressional approval.