The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a forceful warning to a large migrant caravan that entered Mexico and is traveling north toward the U.S.-Mexico border.
“USBP is closely engaged with its international partners to monitor their movement and any additional developments,” DHS told Fox News in a statement. “[United States Border Patrol] USBP reminds migrants that under the leadership of President Trump and Homeland Secretary Mullin, the border has remained closed and secured for the last 16 months.”
The group included several hundred people as of Monday, with Honduran, Guatemalan, Salvadoran, Ecuadorian and Haitian migrants making up most of the caravan.
According to U.S. Border Patrol, the caravan left San Pedro Sula, Honduras, on Sept. 20.
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Migrants from several countries leave in a caravan bound for Mexico City near Tapachula, Mexico, on Oct. 1, 2025. The group, which began its journey in Honduras, has crossed into Mexico and is heading north toward the U.S.-Mexico border. (Reuters/Damian Sanchez)
DHS warned people contemplating the trip to the southern border that the era of “catch and release” has ended, declaring that “Biden’s disastrous open border policy has been SEALED SHUT.”
A U.S. Border Patrol agent stands near the border. The agency is tracking a migrant caravan that entered Mexico on Monday. (John Moore/Getty Images)
“Anyone attempting to illegally enter the United States will be apprehended, prosecuted, and removed from the country,” the department said.
News of the caravan emerged during a divisive midterm election season, as the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement campaign became a central issue in political debate across the country.
Since returning to office last year, President Donald Trump has ordered broad deportation efforts and expanded immigration enforcement operations, while illegal immigration levels have remained historically low.
Several migrants said improved financial prospects were among the main reasons they were traveling toward the United States.
“I want to reach the United States,” José Zelaya, a Honduran migrant traveling with seven family members, told the Spanish-language EFE news agency, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Border wall infrastructure is seen along the U.S.-Mexico border. As authorities monitor a new migrant caravan moving north through Mexico, the Department of Homeland Security has again said the border remains “sealed shut” to illegal crossings. (Fox News)
Zelaya said the caravan was not being directed by a formal leadership group, explaining that “hunger and need” were motivating migrants to continue the journey.