Approximately 1,500 migrants, including men, women, and children from Central and South America, have formed a caravan in southern Mexico with the goal of reaching the U.S. before President-elect Donald Trump assumes office in January.

The group passed through the city of Tapachula on Wednesday, a key point just over the border from Guatemala, where many migrants are stranded without the necessary documentation to travel further into Mexico.

The caravan is heading north toward the U.S.-Mexico border, with many thinking they’re headed for Texas, though it remains certain where the group intends to cross.

Razor wire barriers.

Texas border wall construction.

Mass migration response exercises.

Texas is doing all this and more to secure the southern border, because we know that border security = national security. pic.twitter.com/1HmKVZNNKr

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) November 20, 2024

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The southernmost U.S. border crossing is at Matamoros, near Brownsville, Texas. Reaching this location would take a migrant roughly 16 days of continuous walking.

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Some members of the caravan hope to secure rides to ease the journey, while others plan to make the grueling trip on foot, facing high temperatures and challenging conditions.

Caravans are often formed to provide safety in numbers, making it more difficult for authorities to detain large groups of migrants.

“It is going to be more difficult,” said Yotzeli Peña, a 23-year-old migrant from Venezuela, in an interview with the Associated Press. “That’s why we are going in hopes of getting an appointment quicker so we are able to cross before he [Trump] takes office. That would be easier.”

Migrants in the caravan are racing against time as they expect stricter border enforcement under Trump, who has vowed to implement sweeping immigration reforms.

🚨 ALERT: A MASSIVE caravan of illegals are descending on the U.S. Mexico border, attempting to enter the country before Trump takes office

NO!

PLEASE DEPLOY THE NATIONAL GUARD TO BLOCK THEM @GregAbbott_TX! pic.twitter.com/4qJJeuQhTA

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) November 21, 2024

Trump has promised to seal the southern border and conduct what he described as the largest deportation operation in U.S. history.

He has tapped South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and former ICE Acting Director Tom Homan as the new “Border Czar.”

Trump has also pledged to end the parole programs expanded under the Biden-Harris administration, which allowed migrants to enter the U.S. through “lawful pathways.”

While border encounters have dropped significantly in recent months, concerns remain that the transition to the Trump administration could lead to a surge as migrants attempt to enter before stricter policies are implemented.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported 101,790 encounters at the border in September, the lowest number since February 2021.

Efforts to manage migration under the Biden-Harris administration included expanding the use of the CBP One mobile app to allow migrants to apply for appointments to enter the U.S.

This initiative, initially available only to migrants in northern and central Mexico, was extended to those in southern Mexico, including Tapachula, in an attempt to reduce the number of people gathering at the border.

However, some migrants remain determined to stay closer to the U.S. border to ensure they do not miss appointments. “They’re determined to make it into the U.S., one way or the other, because they’ve sold everything, they have nothing to go back to,” independent journalist Auden Cabello told Fox News Digital.

The caravan’s journey underscores the complexities of border management and the challenges posed by shifting policies between administrations.

With Trump set to take office in January, many migrants are taking desperate measures to cross into the U.S. before anticipated policy changes make it significantly harder.