A new caravan of around 2,000 migrants is currently traveling northward through Mexico, headed for the U.S. border at El Paso, Texas.
Videos circulating online show a large group marching through southern Mexican towns, with a leader using a bullhorn to rally them by chanting “To the border!”
The migrants, who identify themselves as international workers rather than criminals, are expected to arrive in El Paso within just a few days. This has put strain on church-run shelters in border cities like Juarez, Mexico, which are already struggling with overcapacity as thousands of migrants aim to enter the United States.
Reverend Francisco Bueno Guillen, director of the Casa del Migrante shelter in Juarez, stated they are tracking the caravan’s progress from southern Mexico and anticipating at least 2,000 arrivals soon. The “Migrant’s Via Crusis” caravan originated in Tapachula near the Guatemalan border and was organized by Mexican activists to ensure the migrants’ safety during their journey north.
In addition to this large group, hundreds more migrants have established a temporary camp in Chihuahua City, around 230 miles from El Paso. Shelters in Juarez report rapidly filling up, with the municipal gym now 75% occupied as of Wednesday.
El Paso’s Catholic Bishop Mark J. Seitz stated the city will “continue to marshal all available resources” to handle the expected influx, noting El Paso’s ability to provide secure and orderly processing during surges of migration. However, the strain on border cities’ limited shelter capacities highlights the logistical challenges posed by these mass migration events.
