E-Paper
Why is a migrant caravan heading toward the US? All we know as midterm elections inch closer
The “Faith and Hope” caravan, made up largely of Honduran migrants, has entered southern Mexico and is moving north.
Prefer HTon Google
A migrant caravan of several hundred people, mostly from Honduras, has entered southern Mexico. The caravan had reportedly begun its journey north, drawing renewed attention to immigration ahead of the 2026 US midterm elections.
The group, calls itself “Fe y Esperanza” (Faith and Hope) and they have crossed into Mexico through the Rodolfo Robles bridge in Chiapas before reaching Tapachula, where additional migrants joined the caravan. While many participants say they hope to reach the United States, others intend to remain in Mexico in search of work.
Videos circulating on social media showed the caravan crossing into Mexico. Conservative commentators and several Republican lawmakers linked the development to the upcoming midterm elections.
Who is in the ‘Faith and Hope’ caravan?
The caravan departed San Pedro Sula, Honduras, around September 20 before traveling through Guatemala, according to The Rio Times. The caravan entered Mexico on September 24-25 via the Rodolfo Robles international bridge connecting Guatemala and Chiapas. Mexican immigration officials and police accompanied the group as it crossed into the country.
The group initially numbered around 300 migrants but later grew to more than 600 after people from El Salvador, Guatemala, Ecuador and Haiti joined in Tapachula, Rio Times reported.
Many participants told EFE they were fleeing economic hardship rather than violence.
“I want to reach the United States,” Honduran migrant José Zelaya, traveling with seven relatives, told EFE news agency. He said the caravan had no organized leadership, adding that “hunger and need” were the driving forces behind the journey.
Others said they hoped to remain in Mexico. Ecuadorian migrant Vinicio Obonaga told EFE that paperwork delays and unemployment in Tapachula pushed him to join the caravan. He said he hopes to settle in Monterrey instead of crossing into the United States.
Rio Times reported that Migrants were also seen carried their belongings in plastic bags as they walked roughly 40 kilometers from the border to Tapachula amid heavy rain caused by the Storm Rachel.
Why has the caravan become a political issue?
The caravan’s movement comes weeks before the US midterm elections, placing immigration back at the centre of political debate.
Republican lawmakers including Marjorie Taylor Greene and Nancy Mace have questioned whether the caravan is being encouraged by outside groups. “We have not seen a caravan headed to the U.S. southern border in several years, why now? Oh yeah, there is an election coming and the GOP needs to scare you into voting because nothing else is working, ” MTG wrote on X.
Independent journalist Anthony Aguero also claimed on social media that the migration was “not organic.” However, no official evidence has been released to substantiate those allegations. “Over 400 aliens predominantly from Honduras entered Mexico on Thursday, ready to make their way to the US southern border… Here’s footage of the caravan. Someone is incentivizing this movement, this is not organic,” Anthony wrote.
Interviews conducted by EFE with migrants instead point to economic pressures, unemployment and delayed immigration processing as the primary reasons behind the journey.
Tapachula has long served as a bottleneck for migrants entering Mexico. Many wait there for asylum appointments or transit permits while struggling to find employment. Traveling in large groups offers safety and avoids the high cost of hiring smugglers.
In another case, current US border statistics show migrant encounters remain well below recent highs. According to the US Department of Homeland Security, US Border Patrol recorded 8,870 apprehensions along the southwest border in August. The department said that the figure was 97% below the December 2023 peak.
DHS also said it has not released newly apprehended migrants into the United States for the past 16 months.
