Esther López Hernández, a 37-year-old Cuban woman, recently embarked on a striking journey—one that diverges from the common path taken by many migrants.
Instead of pursuing the traditional American dream, López is determined to reach Mexico City, where her friend awaits.
“And why would I want to go to the United States? They hate us there!” she says, while trudging along more than nine miles (15 km) under the weight of a blue stroller carrying her two-year-old daughter, alongside her 18-year-old son, Ernesto.
They are part of a caravan of approximately 1,000 migrants that left Tapachula on Mexico’s southern border, marking a significant shift in migrant aspirations.
For the past eight years, countless caravans have journeyed from this very place with a singular goal: crossing the northern border to reach the United States.
However, the rise of President Donald Trump and his stringent anti-immigration policies have introduced a new sentiment among migrants—fear, leading many to abandon their quest for a better future in the U.S.
This particular caravan, which set off on Wednesday, is unique as it is predominantly made up of Cuban migrants.
Cuban nationals have a long history of seeking refuge in U.S. states like Florida and New York, where established communities and family connections exist.
But the leaders of this caravan expressed their frustrations in a press conference, stating, “We’re leaving Tapachula because we’re trapped here. They won’t give us papers to live here formally, and to obtain them we have to pay up to 20,000 pesos (about $1,000). We’re not trying to get to the United States.”
Since President Donald Trump took office, the flow of migrants to the United States has plummeted, with activists along the southern border reporting declines as steep as 80%.
Historically, the Suchiate River, which delineates the border between Mexico and Guatemala, was home to sprawling camps filled with hundreds, if not thousands, of migrants waiting for their chance to cross.
Today, those camps are almost non-existent, and the few who do manage to cross the border often do so covertly.
Back in Tapachula, López spent the last nine months working in a local restaurant, earning a meager 150 Mexican pesos a day (approximately eight dollars).
This income barely covered her family’s basic food needs, prompting her to forsake her rent and seek shelter elsewhere.
“You can’t make a living here,” she lamented.
In conversations with about 20 other migrants in the caravan, all expressed a desire to remain in Mexico, yet they shared their deep dissatisfaction with life in Tapachula.
Many recounted the impossibility of applying for humanitarian residency, with waiting times stretching anywhere from three to ten months without progress.
Another Cuban, Yoalmi, who is traveling with her husband and two children, shared her frustrations: “My last appointment was over a month ago, and I’m only getting my third signature. Can you imagine how much longer I have to spend waiting here?”
The slow processing times at the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance have been attributed to what migrants describe as a corruption network.
They report encountering lawyers outside the facilities, offering to speed up the application process for a varying fee that can range from 3,000 to 20,000 Mexican pesos ($150 to $1,000).
Expressing her concerns, López articulated a growing disdain for the treatment of migrants.
“I’ve seen videos where they grab and beat migrants as if they were criminals. I don’t want to go there. I want to stay here,” she insisted.
Her sentiment echoed a wider fear among migrants about the current environment in the United States.
Ashley and Claudia, two Cuban women who have been traveling together for three months, emphasized that their families in the U.S. have cautioned them against migrating there.
“We’re told it’s dangerous there [in the U.S.]. You can’t even go out to work. It’s better for us to stay,” Ashley noted, reflecting a growing trend among Cuban migrants to seek a viable alternative in Mexico.
The decline in the number of migrants heading to the U.S., which President Donald Trump was eager to achieve, has brought unforeseen consequences for those on the migration route.
They now find themselves traveling in smaller groups, which unfortunately makes them more vulnerable to organized crime.
Claudia reiterated the necessity of banding together, stating, “We travel in a caravan because that’s the only way we won’t get kidnapped. Because they say that on the way up, the drug traffickers will take you.”
As the caravan continues to march toward Mexico City, the resolve of these migrants remains steadfast.
Despite the challenges they face, their hope for a better life in Mexico prevails.
image source from：english
