Migrant caravan "Dreams without Borders" departs Tapachula for Mexico City seeking legal status and work

A caravan of over 500 migrants, named "Sueños sin Fronteras" (Dreams without Borders), has departed from Tapachula in southern Mexico, embarking on a journey towards Mexico City. The group, comprising individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala, expressed frustration over unaddressed immigration paperwork, scarce employment opportunities, and prohibitive rental costs in Tapachula.

The migrants gathered at Bicentenario Park, a common starting point for recent caravans, before beginning their trek. They plan to travel primarily at night to avoid the intense daytime heat, which can reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), and to rest during the day.

Participants complained about the slow response from Mexico's Internal Displacement Assistance Commission (COMAR) and the National Migration Institute (INM). Many reported waiting over a year for their asylum requests to be processed or for their residency documents. This bureaucratic delay, coupled with a saturated job market in Tapachula, leaves many migrants without work.

"The rents are also unaffordable, and some have had to live on the streets," stated one of the migrants. Carrying a banner that read "Caravana Sueños Sin Fronteras," the group, including men, women, and children, began their walk toward central Mexico. Their primary goals are to legalize their immigration status and secure employment opportunities.