New Migrant Caravan Departs Southern Mexico Amid Asylum Backlog

Around 600 migrants departed from the southern Mexican town of Tapachula on Thursday, forming a new caravan as many face prolonged waits for asylum responses and dire employment conditions.

The group includes individuals recently deported from the United States, as well as others who have spent months in limbo after filing asylum applications. Most participants say their goal is not to reach the US border, but to find work and stability in other parts of Mexico.

Among the marchers was José Francisco Díaz, a 45-year-old Honduran who said he lived in the United States for 32 years before being deported roughly a month ago. He told reporters he joined the caravan hoping to reunite with his former wife and two daughters, one of whom is a US citizen. "We're going to look for a better future," he said.

Venezuelan migrant José Salazar Calderón, who was also walking with the group, described the difficult conditions in southern Mexico. "The situation in Mexico here is more difficult," he said, adding that he and others left family behind and face insecurity at home.

The caravan sets off as at least two dozen similar groups have formed since President Claudia Sheinbaum took office. Mexican migration authorities have previously dispersed such caravans by offering temporary travel permits or relocating migrants to cities in southern states.