At least 2,000 immigrants advance in a caravan with the intention of entering the United States
An estimated 1.39 million undocumented immigrants passed through Mexican territory in the first five months of this year with the intention of crossing the border with the U.S.
![Venezuelan migrants walk along a highway in Cucuta, Colombia, on the border with Venezuela, on February 2, 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. / AFP / Schneyder MENDOZA](https://imagenes.voz.us/files/image_large/uploads/2024/06/18/66717b95636f9.jpeg)
Immigrants crossing into the United States
A caravan of more than 2,000 immigrants without papers left the Mexican city of Tapachula in a march that intends to reach the United States.
The immigrants, mostly Venezuelans, organized in the city of Tecun Umán, Guatemala, last Sunday and crossed the southern border to Tapachula, where more people joined to advance along the highway.
The immigrants assured that the Mexican National Migration Institute (INM) is delaying the delivery of the permits that would allow them to advance northward without fear of being deported.
"The migration people told us they were going to help us ... and in the end they still beat us, they beat the children, they took away our tents," claimed Salvadoran Ana Perez, who is traveling with her two children.
The situation occurs at a time when the Democratic administration has not solved the migration crisis in the U.S. According to AFP, which cites government figures, at least 1.39 million illegal immigrants passed through Mexican territory in the first five months of this year. The largest number came from Venezuela, followed by Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador and Haiti.
Meanwhile, a report by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) revealed that the migrant population has increased by about 6.6 million people since President Joe Biden took office in January 2021.
The current scale of immigration (legal and illegal) to the United States is unprecedented in the nation's history. In March 2024, the foreign-born population reached 51.6 million; 5.1 million more than in March 2022. This is the largest increase ever recorded in U.S. history.