DHS warns new migrant caravan heading for US border

The Department of Homeland Security issued a direct warning this week as a migrant caravan that departed Honduras crossed into Mexico and began moving north toward the U.S.-Mexico border.

U.S. Border Patrol is "closely engaged with its international partners to monitor their movement and any additional developments," DHS told Fox News in a statement.

The agency said the caravan, numbering in the hundreds as of Monday, is predominantly made up of Hondurans, Guatemalans, Salvadorans, Ecuadoreans and Haitians. It departed San Pedro Sula, Honduras, on Sept. 20.

DHS tied the warning to the administration's enforcement posture. "USBP reminds migrants that under the leadership of President Trump and Homeland Secretary Mullin, the border has remained closed and secured for the last 16 months," the statement said.

The department also said the era of releasing migrants into the interior has ended. "The days of 'catch and release' are over, and Biden's disastrous open border policy has been SEALED SHUT," DHS said.

"Anyone attempting to illegally enter the United States will be apprehended, prosecuted, and removed from the country," the department added.

The caravan's movement comes amid a contentious midterm election cycle, with the Trump administration's immigration crackdown serving as a prominent issue for both parties.

Some migrants said economic conditions drove them north. Honduran migrant José Zelaya, traveling with seven relatives, told the Spanish-language EFE news agency that he wanted to reach the United States, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Zelaya said the caravan had no organized leadership, adding that "hunger and need" were the driving forces behind the journey.

Fox News reporters Louis Casiano and Bill Melugin contributed to this report.

Reporting by Fox News. Read the original report: www.foxnews.com.