Hundreds of migrants left southern Mexico on Sunday to travel to the United States as encounters at the border continue to drop following President Biden’s executive action last month.
The Associated Press (AP) reported that hundreds of migrants left southern Mexico on foot Sunday to make their way to the U.S. border. The news service noted that the caravan is made up of migrants from about 12 different countries, with some of them hoping to make it to the border before November’s elections.
The caravan left from the southern Mexican town of Ciudad Hidalgo on Sunday, the AP reported. Some migrants told the AP that they had been waiting in the town for weeks so that they could get permits to travel north.
Miguel Salazar, a migrant from El Salvador, told the AP that the group is “running the risk” that permits required to cross the border might be blocked.
He told the AP that he is worried an administration under former President Trump could stop migrants from making appointments through CBP One, which is an app that migrants use to request an appointment at a port of entry.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection website says migrants must be located in central or northern Mexico to request and schedule an appointment.
A video from NBC News shows a large group of migrants walking alongside a highway in the Mexico state of Chiapas, with many people carrying backpacks and children as they continue their journey.
Biden cracked down on border security last month through an executive order that would turn noncitizens away at the border whenever the seven-day average of daily border crossings exceeds 2,500 between ports of entry.
The Biden administration announced last month that border encounters with migrants were down 40 percent three weeks after the president took action on the border.
The Hill has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
The Associated Press contributed.