Update on the Central American migrant caravan - moving forward

They have hundreds of miles left to go, and their shoes are already falling apart

Central American immigrants take part in a caravan heading to the United States on the road linking Ciudad Hidalgo and Tapachula, Mexico, on October 21, 2018. 

On October 13, a group of hundreds of people gathered together to flee their impoverished home country of Honduras in a caravan headed toward the United States, seeking a better life for themselves and their families. 

Incredulously, that caravan quickly swelled to approximately 7,000 Central American immigrants as it passed north through Guatemala. 

Most of these men, women, and children have entered Mexico, yet they remain more than a thousand miles south of the U.S. border. President Donald Trump has called the approaching group a “national emergency,” vowed to cut tens of millions of dollars in aid to three Central American countries, and will possibly cancel a recent trade deal with Mexico if the caravan isn’t stopped before it reaches the U.S. 

Reported by CNN's Patrick Oppmann and Catherine Shoichet

Trudging on foot in the sweltering sun, thousands of migrants left the Mexican city of Tapachula on Monday and continued their journey north.

A key unanswered question: Will Mexican authorities stop the massive caravan before its members reach the US border?

Mexican police have made a point of showing stepped up security, standing guard in riot gear as the group marches on. But so far, they haven’t detained the majority of the migrants from the caravan.

Still, suspicions are running high among migrants in the caravan — mostly Hondurans who say they’re fleeing poverty and violence. Mexican officials have been sending buses and offering to transport them, but migrants have been hesitant to board, worried they’ll end up trapped in government custody, unable to continue their journeys to the US border.

What's next: On Monday, the migrants have a more modest goal for their destination: Huixtla, a town about 21 miles away. (That’s roughly the same distance the migrants traveled yesterday.)

What the journey has been like: Many of the migrants' shoes were falling apart as they arrived in Tapachula. They packed so tightly into the city’s central plaza that there was almost no room to walk. Hundreds of people slept on the ground.

The majority of migrants are making their way on foot. But it’s also common for members of the group to flag down cars and trucks passing by and pile on to any vehicle that will take them.

There seemed to be little organization as the migrants streamed north and plenty of peril.