The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has reiterated its warning against illegal entry into the United States, saying there is “absolutely zero chance” a caravan of more than 600 migrants traveling through southern Mexico will be allowed in.
The DHS issued the warning on social media on Oct. 21 in response to Reuters footage showing migrants walking near Tapachula, in Mexico’s southern state of Chiapas, carrying a banner that read, “Faith and Hope, Emigrating is not a crime.”
“We will protect our borders—America is a nation, not an economic zone,” the agency stated.
More than 600 migrants, most of them Hondurans, left Tapachula near the Guatemalan border on Oct. 20, heading north toward the U.S.–Mexico border.
The group included young men and families with children, some pushing baby strollers along the roadside.
Some in the caravan hoped the Trump administration’s restrictive border policies would ease after the midterm elections.
“We’re going with the hope that there will be a new administration after the upcoming elections [in the United States] that can support migrants like us who are most in need,” Honduran migrant Olvin Colin said.
Another migrant from Honduras, Gabriela Macias, called on Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and U.S. President Donald Trump to let migrants transit Mexico unimpeded and enter the United States, so caravan members can find jobs and better opportunities.
“The only thing we want is for the president of Mexico to open the way for us so we can get ahead, to work as well. We also ask President Trump to open the doors for us, right, because we are people in need,” Macias said.
The DHS warning reinforced the Trump administration’s position that migrants traveling north in caravans will be prevented from entering the country. The agency has previously stated that anyone attempting to enter the United States illegally will be arrested, prosecuted, and deported.
Handprints sit visible on the Southern U.S. border wall, seen from outside of San Diego, on May 27, 2026. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)
“Attempting to illegally cross the southern border of the United States of America will only lead to immediate detention and deportation,” the U.S. Embassy in Honduras stated in an Oct. 18 post on X. “Don’t fall for false promises. Don’t risk your future.”
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin warned in late September about a caravan traveling north from Honduras, saying U.S. officials were monitoring its movements and coordinating with Mexico.
Mexican authorities are helping to break the caravan up because they understand that the migrants will cause a crisis at their border, Mullin said at the time. He said he planned to deploy resources from the Department of War, DHS, and Coast Guard to ensure that no one from the group crosses the border.
Mexican immigration authorities dispersed a previous caravan after it traveled through southern Mexico for nearly three weeks in September.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
