Migrant Caravan From Honduras Heads Toward US Border - Newsweek
More than 600 migrants are reportedly traveling north through Mexico in a caravan bound for the U.S. border, a journey that began in Honduras and comes as the Trump administration is clamping down on migration ahead of November's midterms.
The journey began on September 20, when between 200 and 400 Honduran migrants left San Pedro Sula in small groups and headed toward the border with Guatemala, according to the Spanish news agency EFE.
By early Monday, September 28, a caravan known as "Fe y Esperanza," or "Faith and Hope," had grown to more than 600 migrants as it resumed its journey from Tapachula, southern Mexico, toward the country's northern border with the United States, EFE reported. The group included people from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Ecuador and Haiti.
It comes amid President Donald Trumpβs sweeping crackdown on illegal immigration, which has curbed unlawful crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border. Since returning to office in January 2025, Trump has declared a national emergency at the southern border, deployed active-duty military personnel and National Guard troops to support border operations, imposed extensive restrictions on asylum access, and pursued a policy of detaining and removing migrants who cross illegally rather than releasing them into the United States.
Border crossings have plummeted under those measures. U.S. Border Patrol recorded 8,870 apprehensions along the southwest border in August 2026, according to the Department of Homeland Security, 94 percent below the monthly average during the Biden administration. DHS also said Border Patrol released no migrants into the country that month, extending a run of zero releases to 16 consecutive months.
Newsweek has contacted the White House, the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Mexicoβs government for comment.
Access to asylum at the southern border has also been sharply curtailed. Trump issued a proclamation on his first day back in office seeking to prevent migrants covered by the order from invoking asylum and other protections, although the policy has faced continuing litigation.
The caravan nevertheless remains hundreds of miles from the U.S. border, and it is unclear how many members of the current group will ultimately reach northern Mexico or attempt to enter the United States. Previous migrant caravans have often failed to reach the U.S. border as organized groups. Mexican authorities have routinely intercepted and dispersed caravans traveling north, including by detaining migrants or transporting them elsewhere in Mexico.
Migrants interviewed by EFE cited economic hardship among their reasons for leaving Honduras. One woman traveling with two children said there was no work available to her in the country. Another migrant acknowledged that reaching the United States would be difficult but said he would nevertheless try.
According to Guatemalaβs Institute of Migration, Honduran nationals can enter Guatemala without a visa under the CA-4 regional agreement, while Mexicoβs National Migration Institute states that Honduran nationals generally require a visa to enter Mexico, subject to certain exemptions.
EFE reported that the group had arrived in Tapachula the previous Thursday with around 300 people but subsequently grew as migrants who were already in southern Mexico joined it.
The changing composition means the group of more than 600 people currently traveling through Mexico should not be characterized as consisting entirely of the Honduran migrants who originally left San Pedro Sula.
U.S. authorities have warned migrants against attempting to enter the United States unlawfully.
On September 21, the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa wrote on X that "the borders of the United States are closed to those who violate the law."
"Do not risk your life or that of your family by undertaking the dangerous journey to the north. Do not believe the lies of human traffickers. If you attempt to enter the United States illegally, you will be deported."
The Department of Homeland Security has also responded to the caravan on X, writing "Our time has come," in a video post featuring a sports hype reel set to a Korn song.
The caravan has also generated political reaction in the United States, where Republicans have seized on its emergence to raise concerns about border security and immigration in the run-up to the November midterms.
Representative Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Republican, wrote on X, "They're not betting on crossing Trump's border. They're betting on a Democrat Congress in November. Don't give them one."
Former Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, meanwhile, questioned the timing of the caravan and accused Republicans of emphasizing the issue to influence voters.
"We have not seen a caravan headed to the U.S. southern border in several years, why now?" Greene wrote on X.
"Oh yeah, there is an election coming and the GOP needs to scare you into voting because nothing else is working," she added.
JosΓ© Zelaya, a Honduran migrant from San Pedro Sula, told EFE that he had left with seven members of his family on September 20 and wanted to reach the United States, in part so he could provide financial help to relatives he had left behind.
Zelaya also rejected the idea that anyone was directing the migrants, telling EFE that the group had no leaders beyond "hunger" and "necessity."
