A migrant caravan trying to reach the United States is reportedly struggling with food shortages and limited humanitarian assistance while still hundreds of miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. About 350 migrants were traveling Tuesday through the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, where some families have gone days without eating, according to interviews published by the Mexican newspaper La Jornada. The group had covered more than 150 kilometers, or about 93 miles, in nearly two weeks and was heading from Pijijiapan toward Tonalá.
The caravan, known as "Fe y Esperanza con Dios," or "Faith and Hope with God," began its journey in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, on September 20 and entered Mexico several days later. Most of the migrants are from Central America, although people of other nationalities have joined along the way. Honduran migrant José Celaya, who is traveling with his wife, sister-in-law and four children, told La Jornada that migrants without money have been sharing what food they have.
He said the group had been allowed to sleep in parks and sports facilities along its route, but charitable donations of food and other supplies had been insufficient. "There are many women with children who have no money; sometimes, we support each other, we share a plate of food," Celaya told the outlet. Celaya said the family nevertheless intended to continue north because returning home was not an option for them.
A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson told Newsweek on September 28 that U.S. Border Patrol was "actively tracking" the caravan, which departed San Pedro Sula, Honduras, on September 20. The spokesperson said the agency was working with international partners to monitor the group and warned that people who attempt to enter the United States illegally would be apprehended, prosecuted, and removed.
The group's immediate challenge is reaching Oaxaca, the state bordering Chiapas to the west. The current caravan is the latest in a series that have struggled to travel beyond southern Mexico. 20 migrant caravans have left Tapachula since President Claudia Sheinbaum took office in October 2024, and none has made it beyond Oaxaca, according to La Jornada. Earlier caravans have faced a combination of illness, difficult weather and intervention by Mexican immigration authorities.
La Jornada reported that a March caravan of about 500 migrants was dispersed by Mexico's National Migration Institute, while a group that left in April with about 1,000 people dissolved in Oaxaca after nearly three weeks of walking. A June caravan of about 200 people also experienced foot injuries, fever, coughs and gastrointestinal illnesses after traveling more than 100 kilometers through sun and heavy rain, according to the newspaper. The "Sueños sin Fronteras" caravan left Tapachula with about 600 people on August 20, La Jornada reported.
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