Thousands join huge migrant caravan in Mexico ahead of Blinken visit

WASHINGTON: Thousands of migrants have set off on foot on Monday from southern Mexico in an effort to reach the United States border.

Around 7,000 people mainly from South and Central America, including thousands of children, are estimated to have joined the migrant caravan. They left just days before US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due to discuss how to curb mass migration with the Mexican president.

Several border crossings have recently been closed due to a migrant surge. White House national security spokesman John Kirby said US President Joe Biden and his Mexican counterpart, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, shared concern about the “dramatic” increase in migrants crossing their joint border.