• Migrants en route to the United States travel in a lorry from Pijijiapan to Arriaga, near Tonala, Mexico. Reuters
    Migrants en route to the United States travel in a lorry from Pijijiapan to Arriaga, near Tonala, Mexico. Reuters
  • Migrants seen riding to Cordoba from Isla, Mexico. Reuters
    Migrants seen riding to Cordoba from Isla, Mexico. Reuters
  • Migrants walk by the road that links Metapa with Tapachula, Mexico. Reuters
    Migrants walk by the road that links Metapa with Tapachula, Mexico. Reuters
  • Members of the caravan rest at the shelter provided in the Jesus 'Palillo' Martinez stadium, which is located within the complex of the Sport City of Magdalena Mixhiuca, in Mexico City. EPA
    Members of the caravan rest at the shelter provided in the Jesus 'Palillo' Martinez stadium, which is located within the complex of the Sport City of Magdalena Mixhiuca, in Mexico City. EPA
  • Migrants head to a shelter after arriving in Puebla, Mexico. AFP
    Migrants head to a shelter after arriving in Puebla, Mexico. AFP
  • Honduran migrants Izekiel Romero, left, and Juan Carlos Santa Maria, middle, hold a pull-up contest as fellow migrant Wilbar Omar Lara watches, at a shelter in Mexico City. AP Photo
    Honduran migrants Izekiel Romero, left, and Juan Carlos Santa Maria, middle, hold a pull-up contest as fellow migrant Wilbar Omar Lara watches, at a shelter in Mexico City. AP Photo
  • Migrants get off a truck in Arriaga, Mexico. Reuters
    Migrants get off a truck in Arriaga, Mexico. Reuters
  • Migrants ride in a municipal police pick-up truck from Pijijiapan to Arriaga, near Pijijiapan, Mexico. Reuters
    Migrants ride in a municipal police pick-up truck from Pijijiapan to Arriaga, near Pijijiapan, Mexico. Reuters
  • The caravan receives food a sports centre in Arriaga, Mexico. Reuters
    The caravan receives food a sports centre in Arriaga, Mexico. Reuters
  • Dilan Matinez, 3, sleeps next to his father Oscar Martinez, a migrant from Honduras. Reuters
    Dilan Matinez, 3, sleeps next to his father Oscar Martinez, a migrant from Honduras. Reuters

The Americas

Life on the road: First wave of migrant caravan reaches Mexico City - in pictures

More than 1,000 Central Americans bedded down at a stadium where the city government set up medical aid and food kitchens

The National

November 05, 2018

  • English
  • Arabic

The first Central American migrants from a caravan travelling through Mexico towards the United States in hopes of seeking asylum arrived in Mexico City on Sunday, taking up temporary shelter at a sports stadium.

More than 1,000 Central Americans, many fleeing gang violence and financial hardship in their home countries, bedded down at the stadium where the city government set up medical aid and food kitchens.

Ahead of US congressional elections this Tuesday, President Donald Trump has warned repeatedly about the advance of the caravan and ordered thousands of troops to the Mexican border, where units strung up razor wire this weekend.

The migrants arrived in Mexico City, about 800 kilometers from the closest border crossings in Texas, four weeks after setting out from the Honduran city of San Pedro Sula.

MexicoHonduras