Thousands from a migrant caravan dispersed as they boarded buses to processing centers in Huixtla near Tapachula to apply for travel permits. Mexican authorities may provide free transit through Mexico for a year and then travel to the US border. Some migrants were waiting for buses in Mapastepec, hoping to obtain humanitarian passes and work permits. More than half a million migrants crossed the dangerous Darien Gap into Central America in 2023, fleeing poverty, crime, and conflict.