Migrant caravan presses north toward US border

Trudging on foot in the sweltering sun, thousands of migrants left the Mexican city of Tapachula on Monday and continued their journey north.

A key unanswered question: Will Mexican authorities stop the massive caravan before its members reach the US border?

Mexican police have made a point of showing stepped up security, standing guard in riot gear as the group marches on. But so far, they haven’t detained the majority of the migrants from the caravan.

Still, suspicions are running high among migrants in the caravan — mostly Hondurans who say they’re fleeing poverty and violence. Mexican officials have been sending buses and offering to transport them, but migrants have been hesitant to board, worried they’ll end up trapped in government custody, unable to continue their journeys to the US border.

What’s next: On Monday, the migrants have a more modest goal for their destination: Huixtla, a town about 21 miles away. (That’s roughly the same distance the migrants traveled yesterday.)

What the journey has been like: Many of the migrants’ shoes were falling apart as they arrived in Tapachula. They packed so tightly into the city’s central plaza that there was almost no room to walk. Hundreds of people slept on the ground.

The majority of migrants are making their way on foot. But it’s also common for members of the group to flag down cars and trucks passing by and pile on to any vehicle that will take them.

There seemed to be little organization as the migrants streamed north and plenty of peril.