Migrants trek north through Mexico, buoyed by US election result

More than a thousand migrants were walking northward on Wednesday in a caravan through southern Mexico, spurred by last week's Democratic victory in US midterm elections, which raised hopes that US immigration policies could become more welcoming.



The group, estimated by a Chiapas state government source to number about 1,500 people including many families, set off on Tuesday from the city of Tapachula near the Guatemala border. With possessions in backpacks, parents carried small children in their arms, in strollers or on their shoulders.



Tapachula has long been a key transit point for migrants from Central America heading to the United States.



Due to US entry restrictions and deportations, thousands have become stranded there, where they report a scarcity of jobs, healthcare and schools. Such caravans are common,but many migrants saw new reason for optimism after last week's US elections.