On the day of U.S. President Donald Trump's inauguration, more than 2,000 immigrants were reported to have begun their journey across Mexico dreaming of reaching the United States. This is seen as an attempt to enter the United States before President Trump implements his hardline anti-immigration policies.
On the 21st (local time), Fox News reported, "Hours before President Trump's inauguration, a caravan of 2,000 immigrants set out from southern Mexico towards the U.S. border." The caravan started in Tapachula, Mexico, and Fox News noted that this was the tenth large-scale caravan since the U.S. presidential election last November.
The "Migrant Caravan" refers to groups of migrants from Central America who travel collectively on foot towards the U.S. border. By moving together, immigrants aim to ensure safety and reduce their expenses. Group movement allows them to avoid some risks such as human trafficking and violence. Many migrants organizing caravans toward the United States come mainly from Central American countries like El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala.
Caravans mainly start from Tapachula, Mexico. It takes about 16 days on foot for adults to travel from Tapachula to the U.S. border. Four U.S. states and six Mexican states share a border.
However, crossing the U.S. border is not an easy task for caravans. Most caravans are dismantled midway due to crackdowns by Mexican authorities. Immigrants exhausted from the long and arduous journey may break away from the group, causing the caravan to naturally dissolve. The Mexican government has previously taken strong measures to prevent the influx of immigrants under pressure from President Trump, so this caravan is likely to face a difficult journey as well. This caravan, which set out viewing President Trump's inauguration as a final opportunity, is interpreted as aiming to take advantage of a relatively weaker crackdown on illegal immigrants in the early days of his presidency.
From his first day in office, President Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border adjacent to Mexico and signed various executive orders on immigration, including banning asylum for illegal immigrants and constructing a border wall. Tom Homan, the "border czar" responsible for immigration policy in the Trump administration, noted in an interview with CNN that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began crackdowns on illegal residents nationwide. Arrested illegal residents are detained before being deported to their home countries or a third country.