Hundreds of migrants from various Caribbean and Central American countries set off on foot early Wednesday from southern Mexico in the 'Genesis 2026' caravan, aiming to reach northern states in search of regularization and better opportunities after abandoning their dream of reaching the United States due to Donald Trump's migration policies. In Tapachula, Chiapas, migrants denounced that they have been waiting up to a year and a half for a response from the Mexican Commission for Refugee Aid (Comar) without a favorable outcome. Julise, a Haitian migrant traveling with friends and family, told EFE they decided to leave in search of a better quality of life, as they face precarious conditions here. 'We are hungry in Chiapas. We are going to Monterrey, where one can find a good job, a better quality of life to support their family and regularize their status,' he stated. Another migrant, Cuban Jo Andrés Velázquez, who remained in Tapachula for a year and seven months, reported that Comar issued a negative resolution and dismissed his case. 'What we did was explain to them how a federal highway works, advising them to stay on the right side to avoid obstructing traffic and to ensure the safety of children and women,' he explained. This group of migrants will walk only at night and early mornings to avoid high temperatures and will advance along the Pacific route toward Mexico City. Tapachula has experienced an influx of thousands of migrants from South America in recent months, and more recently, people deported from the United States. EFE. You may be interested > Video shows minor directly attacking teachers; Michoacán Prosecutor's Office is searching for his cell phone. During her morning press conference, Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum acknowledged the progress of this caravan but emphasized that since her administration took office, all such caravans 'stay in the south of the country, and we even offer repatriation; many of them accept it, and if not, their migratory situation is reviewed, and after some time, it is possible that they can work in the south of the country,' she noted. In 2025, according to data from the Refugee Aid Commission (Comar) as of September, over 52,000 asylum applications were registered in the country, 66% of which (about 34,000) were filed in Chiapas, on the border with Guatemala, with Tapachula being the main reception point. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Haitian, Cuban, and Honduran migrants are the main nationalities, although Tapachula hosts people from many other countries. 'There are migrants from Somalia, Iranians, Venezuelans, Cubans, and Haitians,' said EFE. Security protocol activated. With the departure of this first caravan of 2026, the Directorate of International Relations and Transborder Development activated a security and humanitarian support protocol for children and young people, explained its head, Denisse Lugardo Escobar. 'The majority are Haitians; among them are two people who speak Haitian Creole and a Spanish speaker to facilitate communication.' A migrant explained that he decided to take this journey to find other places in Mexico where he can regularize his status. 'It would be better if they gave us a transit permit to move within the country, that would be enough for us. They could give us the opportunity to travel with a special permit or something similar and allow us to work legally without so many requirements or paperwork,' he referred. Among those in the caravan is Lucía, a Mexican woman traveling with a Cuban migrant, who noted that they left Tapachula in search of better opportunities and to access central offices in Mexico to process documentation. 'It is a silent caravan because they are not asking for anything more than to reach Mexico City, that's all; faith moves mountains. Well, Genesis has biblical significance, you know that.'
