Migrant Caravans Head for US Border, Betting on Democratic Midterm Win

Two migrant caravans are moving north through Central America toward the United States, encouraged by the Democrats' sweeping midterm election victory — and Washington is warning them that nothing about American immigration law has changed. The caravans, one from Honduras and one from El Salvador, set out after the November 3 vote, and migrants told CNN they are betting the Democratic “Blue Wave” will make it easier to reach the United States. The US Embassy in El Salvador answered bluntly: “U.S. immigration laws remain in effect. The midterm election results do not represent changes to current immigration policies.”

Key Points

• Two migrant caravans, from Honduras and El Salvador, are heading for the US border after the Democrats routed the Republicans on November 3.
• Migrants told CNN they believe the Democratic “Blue Wave” will make it easier to reach the United States once the new Congress takes its seats in January.
• The US Embassy in El Salvador warned immigration laws remain in effect and the election results “do not represent changes to current immigration policies”.
• Dozens of Salvadorans left San Salvador on Friday, November 6, to join the Honduran caravan, which left San Pedro Sula on Election Day.
• The Trump administration warned it will revoke organisers’ visas, and the Department of Homeland Security says it has revoked the immigration status of 2.2 million foreign nationals since January 2025.

What Happened

The Salvadoran group set out on Friday, November 6, from the Western Bus Terminal in San Salvador. Among them was Beatriz M., travelling with her husband and her 9- and 11-year-old children. Their plan is to reach Tecún Umán, on the Guatemala-Mexico border, and join the caravan that left Honduras on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, from San Pedro Sula. The two streams of travellers are expected to merge as they push north toward Mexico.

It is the third caravan to leave Honduras since September, after groups that set out on September 20 and October 13. The latest movement has been organised largely through social media and WhatsApp.

Background and Context

Caravans of this kind were familiar in past years, but they had become far rarer in 2025. Southwest border encounters fell sharply after President Donald Trump took office in 2025, as his administration tightened border controls and launched mass deportations. The Department of Homeland Security says it has revoked the immigration status of 2.2 million foreign nationals since January 2025, which the administration cites as proof the border is now closed in practice to people arriving without authorisation.

The midterms changed the political picture, even if they did not change the law. On November 3, Democrats routed the Republicans and won control of Congress, and will lead both chambers from January. For migrants weighing the long and dangerous journey north, that outcome reads as a sign the political winds may be shifting — even though immigration law can only change through new legislation, and the president still holds the veto.

Migrant Caravans and the Midterm Effect

The caravans are, in effect, a bet on what the election means. Beatriz M. and the other Salvadorans who left on Friday are betting that a Democratic majority in Congress will make the journey easier, whether through new laws or a different political climate. The administration is betting the opposite: that the embassy warning, and the threat to organisers’ visas, will turn people back before they reach Mexico.

Not everyone on the road shares the optimism. Aníbal, speaking to CNN at a border crossing in Guatemala, was blunt: “Nothing has changed. Democrats and Republicans are the same, so if they capture us tomorrow, we’ll just head there again.” For many walking north, the decision to leave home was made long before the midterms, driven by conditions at home rather than by Washington politics.

Reactions and Official Statements

The clearest official response has come from the US Embassy in El Salvador, which posted on social media two days after the election: “U.S. immigration laws remain in effect. The midterm election results do not represent changes to current immigration policies.” The message was aimed at people considering the journey, and at the idea spreading online that the Democratic win had opened the border.

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau went further, calling the migrants “pawns” in caravans “meticulously organized on social media”. The Department of Homeland Security has pointed to its record since January 2025 — 2.2 million foreign nationals stripped of immigration status — as proof enforcement has not eased. No new policy has been announced in response to the caravans themselves.

Why It Matters

The caravans are the first visible test of how post-midterm immigration politics will play out. Democrats arrive in the new Congress promising a different approach to immigration, while the Trump administration is signalling that enforcement will not soften. The people caught between those two messages are the migrants themselves, walking north on a hope Washington says is misplaced.

There is also a practical question. Caravans reaching Mexico face a long journey through a country where the authorities have repeatedly broken up large groups, and where the risks from criminal gangs are severe. Whether the two groups merge, and how far they get, will shape how the story is seen in Washington.

Related coverage: Democrats gear up for immigration fight as Miller promotion signals no let-up | Mullin says US deportations will continue despite Democrats’ midterm sweep | World reacts to Democrats’ midterm sweep

What Happens Next

The next step is the meeting at Tecún Umán, where the Salvadoran group hopes to join the Honduran caravan at the Guatemala-Mexico border. From there, the combined group would face the long route north through Mexico, a journey that takes weeks and that Mexican authorities have often interrupted. The Trump administration has given no sign of changing its enforcement stance.

In Washington, the new Democratic Congress will be seated in January, and immigration is set to be one of its first big fights. For now, the migrants walking north are travelling on a hope that the law, as the US Embassy put it, has not changed. What happens at the border in the coming weeks will show whether that hope, or the warning, was the better guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where are the migrant caravans now?
The Honduran caravan left San Pedro Sula on Election Day, November 3, and is moving through Guatemala. The Salvadoran group left San Salvador on Friday, November 6, and is heading for Tecún Umán to join it.

Why do the migrants think the midterms change things?
Migrants told CNN they are betting the Democrats’ “Blue Wave” win will make it easier to reach the United States once the new majority takes its seats in January.

Has US immigration policy actually changed?
No. The US Embassy in El Salvador says immigration laws remain in effect and the election results “do not represent changes to current immigration policies”.

What has the Trump administration said?
It warned it will revoke the visas of caravan organisers. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau called the migrants “pawns” in caravans organised on social media.

How many caravans have left Honduras recently?
This is the third since September, after groups on September 20 and October 13.