TAPACHULA, Mexico (APTN/NBCNC) – Thousands of Central American migrants hoping to reach the U.S. stretched out on rain-soaked sidewalks, benches and public plazas in the southern Mexico city of Tapachula.
Staying together for strength and safety in numbers, some huddled under a metal roof in the city’s main plaza Sunday night.
The group’s advance has drawn strong criticism from President Donald Trump.
In a tweet, he said the migrants would not be allowed into the United States.
The migrant caravan, which started out more than a week ago with less than 200 participants, has drawn additional people along the way and it swelled to an estimated 5,000 Sunday after many migrants found ways to cross from Guatemala into southern Mexico as police blocked the official crossing point.
Migrants received help from sympathetic Mexicans who offered food, water and clothing.
Hundreds of locals driving pickups, vans and cargo trucks stopped to let them jump aboard.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.