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Hundreds of migrants left Mexico City on foot Wednesday.
MacauBusiness.com reports that their aim is to reach the US border before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January.
The group of about 1,500 people set out from the city in the early morning hours for a walk of some 2,600 kilometres.
One of them, Columbian Yamel Enriquez, told AFP, “My mentality is to get there, I want my (asylum) appointment before he (Trump) takes power.
“If I don’t get the appointment before, I will give myself to whatever God wants.”
Venezuelan Zuleika Carreno also joined the exodus with the same single-minded purpose.
Trump, who won an election in which immigration was a top issue, has vowed to declare a national emergency on border security and use the US military to carry out a mass deportation of undocumented migrants.
Authorities estimate that some 11 million people are living in the US illegally. Trump has stoked concerns by claiming an “invasion” is underway by migrants. He also claims they will rape and murder Americans.
On Wednesday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government was preparing a document highlighting the contributions of workers from her country to the US economy.
Migrants in Mexico are from various troubled countries and seek a better life in the United States. They frequently organize group movements known as “caravans” in a bid to pressure authorities into giving them temporary Mexican visas.
