Central American refugees and asylum-seekers, led by the nonprofit humanitarian organization Pueblo Sin Fronteras, walk along a road in the town of Santiago Niltepec, Oaxaca state, Mexico, on March 31.
Photographer: Jordi Ruiz Cirera/Bloomberg
Meet the migrants who have traveled thousands of miles from Central America on foot, bus and freight train. They’re hoping that safety in numbers will lead them without incident through Mexico as they seek asylum in the U.S. from gang violence and poverty. But the mass exodus is exactly what drew the wrong kind of attention to the group. Now U.S. President Donald Trump has turned their plight into a rallying cry against illegal immigration and demanded that Mexico stop them. Mexico responded that the caravan is an annual public demonstration to raise awareness of the importance of respecting immigrant rights, but that it will handle them as laws dictate. Locals aren’t much worried about those laws and have offered shelter in gyms and free buses to help the Central Americans on their way. Photographer Jordi Ruiz Cirera traveled with those seeking refuge.