Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has a blunt message for the migrant caravan now moving north through Mexico. It is not getting into the United States.
“The caravan has zero chance of coming into our country,” Mullin said in recent interviews with Newsmax and Fox News. He repeated the warning in plain terms: “They are not entering.”
The group set out from San Pedro Sula, Honduras, on September 20. Reports put the number at several hundred migrants, with some accounts estimating about 300.
After crossing Guatemala, the caravan entered Mexico over a bridge at Suchiate and walked more than 12 hours to reach Tapachula. It remains deep in southern Mexico, more than 1,000 miles from the nearest section of the U.S. border.
Not everyone in the group is headed for America. Some say they hope to reach the United States, while others plan to stay in Mexico and look for work. Reports also say some of the migrants were previously deported from the United States and are trying to resume the journey north.
Mullin says the Trump administration saw this coming. “We actually have been watching this caravan for quite some time,” he said, adding that DHS has been in touch with the Mexican government.
According to Mullin, the intelligence suggests the caravan formed to pressure Mexico into accepting asylum claims, and he says that appears to have worked. He noted that the migrants have now claimed asylum in Mexico.
That matters legally, Mullin argued. Under the safe third country principle, people who claim asylum in Mexico and then walk through it do not have a right to claim asylum in the United States.
He said he has been direct with his Mexican counterpart. If Mexico lets the caravan keep moving north, he said, the group will be stopped when it reaches the U.S. southern border.
Mullin also expects Mexico to act. He says Mexican authorities are already helping break up the caravan because they understand it could create a crisis at their own border.
A DHS source cited by Breitbart said officials expect Mexican authorities to disperse the group before it makes real progress toward northern Mexico. The source pointed to similar groups earlier this year that dissolved or were stopped well short of the U.S. border.
For his part, Mullin said the next few weeks will depend on Mexico. “We believe this caravan will probably break up,” he said.
White House Border Czar Tom Homan was equally direct. Migrants who try to enter illegally will not be released into the country, he said. “They’ll be immediately turned around, or they’ll be arrested and prosecuted and deported.”
DHS has confirmed that Border Patrol is tracking the caravan and coordinating with international partners. The department warned that anyone who attempts to enter illegally faces apprehension, prosecution and removal.
A DHS spokesperson put it in military terms. “DHS is playing lockdown defense at the border,” the spokesperson told The Epoch Times, adding that the department will use every tool at its disposal to keep Americans safe.
Mullin said the administration is prepared to shift more resources south if the caravan keeps coming. That could include personnel from across DHS and the Coast Guard.
The contrast with the previous administration is the heart of the message. Under Joe Biden, caravans were often met with release into the interior after a quick asylum claim, which critics say fueled the next wave. Mullin said migrants should not expect that treatment now.
The administration points to its record as proof the policy works. DHS and Customs and Border Protection announced earlier this month that Border Patrol had gone 16 consecutive months without releasing migrants directly from border custody into the United States.
Mullin also pointed to the physical barrier. “Every time we build a mile, we secure a mile,” he said, a nod to the continuing wall construction along the southern border.
Caravans have long served as political theater, designed to generate images and pressure governments into concessions. The administration appears determined to deny that outcome by turning the pressure back on Mexico City.
