Caravan members hitch rides to speed long trek across Mexico

Central American migrants ride on a truck in Celaya, Mexico, on their way to the U.S. border. Central American migrants ride on a truck in Celaya, Mexico, on their way to the U.S. border. Photo: Marco Ugarte / Associated Press Photo: Marco Ugarte / Associated Press Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Caravan members hitch rides to speed long trek across Mexico 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

QUERETARO, Mexico — Local officials were once again helping thousands of Central American migrants find rides Sunday on the next leg of their journey toward the U.S. border.

At a toll plaza to the west of the central Mexican city of Queretaro, where the group spent Saturday night, police helped find trucks to take migrants and prevented them from trying to stop drivers themselves.

The government of Queretaro said via Twitter that 6,531 migrants had moved through the state between Friday and Saturday. It said 5,771 of those departed Sunday morning after staying in three shelters it had prepared, the largest of which was a soccer stadium.

Those numbers appeared even higher than counts made by officials when the group was in Mexico City for several days, raising the possibility that other migrants have caught up to the main caravan.

The migrants began walking before dawn Sunday for Irapuato about 62 miles to the west after crossing into Guanajuato state, where local authorities also assisted them.

A day earlier a similar scene played out as the caravan exited Mexico City. Dedicated metro trains moved migrants across the capital before dawn and at a toll plaza north of the city they formed orderly lines to wait for their turn to climb aboard passing 18-wheelers that were willing to help them cover the 124 miles to Queretaro.

The migrants appear to be on a path to Tijuana across the border from San Diego, which is still some 1,600 miles away.

President Trump has ordered the deployment of over 5,000 military troops to the border to fend off the migrants. Trump has also insinuated without proof that there are criminals or even terrorists in the group.

Marco Ugarte and Yesica Fisch are Associated Press writers.