Migrant Caravan Starts March Towards U.S.-Mexico Border Amid Ongoing Summit of the Americas

A migrant caravan has started to march towards the U.S.-Mexico border amid the ongoing Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles.

According to Al Jazeera, migration activists said the latest group of migrants left the city of Tapachula in Mexico on Monday. Tapachula is known to be a key point in the journey of many migrants and asylum seekers hoping to reach the U.S.-Mexico border.

Associated Press reported that the caravan was estimated to be around 4,000 to 5,000 migrants, mostly from Central America, Cuba, and Venezuela.

The latest migrant caravan is reportedly the largest group to attempt to leave southern Mexico this year. Last year, a much larger group was stopped in Guatemala.

Mexico's National Institute for Migration did not provide an estimation of the migrant caravan's size. It also did not release any statement concerning the group of migrants.

Many of the migrants had children in their arms or on their backs. There were also migrants in the caravan who were using a sheet of plastic to shield them from rain.

The migrant caravan reportedly departed just hours before Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he would not be attending the Summit of the Americas because the Biden administration did not invite Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to participate.

Migrant Caravan Departs Mexico's Tapachula City Hoping to 'Attract' the Attention of Summit of the Americas Leaders

Migrants who joined the caravan hoped they would attract the attention of the region's leaders at the Americas summit.

Migrants were complaining about delays in paperwork on visa requests, which have trapped them in Tapachula. Reports claimed that Mexico's asylum agency had been overwhelmed by the surging number of applicants.

Ruben Medina, who joined the migrant caravan, told AP that he and 12 members of his family traveled from Venezuela to Mexico for a visa.

"[We have] been waiting about two months... and still nothing, so better to start walking in this march," Medina said.

Colombian migrant Robinson Reyes said he hoped the migrant caravan would get the attention of the Summit of the Americas' leaders.

"We want a future for our children... we want to cross Mexico without any problems... God willing, they can talk and resolve this," Reyes noted.

Luis Garcia Villagran, the migrant caravan organizer, said the group marching toward the U.S.-Mexico border is a result of countries collapsing from poverty and violence.

"We strongly urge those who attend the summit... to look at what is happening, and what could happen even more often in Mexico, if something is not done soon," Villagran noted.

Migrant Caravan Heads to U.S.-Mexico Border

The migrant caravan is currently the only large group of migrants walking toward the U.S.-Mexico border. AP reported that the "phenomenon" of migrant caravans to highlight migrants' plight took off in 2018.

Their strategy of marching towards the borders together worked at first, but the Guatemalan and the Mexican governments have been far more aggressive in dissolving the groups.

In October last year, a migrant caravan grew to about 4,000 members before it diminished in southern Mexico.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Migrant Caravan Sets Out in Southern Mexico - From Los Angeles Times