Nine buses carrying as many as 400 Central American migrants arrived in the city of Tijuana on Tuesday, becoming the first group in the migrant caravan to reach the US-Mexico border.
Having split from the larger group in Mexico City, the breakaways want to cross into the US in the hope of seeking asylum.
“If we cannot go through then we have to go back again, but we believe that we’ll be back,” said one Honduran migrant.
“We must not lose hope,” he added.
The first arrivals are expected to be joined by larger groups in the coming days.
Many of the migrants hail from Honduras which they left behind over a month ago fleeing violence and poverty. They have travelled the length and breadth of Mexico to reach the US southern border.