Thousands of migrants from Latin American and Caribbean countries arrived last Sunday in the Mexican city of Álvaro Obregón to spend Christmas Eve as part of their journey to the southern border of the U.S., reports Reuters.

According to local authorities, the size of the caravan is about 8,000 people.

Meanwhile, Luis García Villagrán, a migrant rights activist, said that migrants do not have to become a bargaining chip in the US presidential campaign. «They will not stop us, we will continue walking», he commented.

According to U.S. Border Patrol data, some 50,000 unauthorized immigrants crossed the U.S.-Mexico border during the previous week.

It is also noted that the record number of unauthorized immigrants has exhausted federal and local resources in small cities in the states of California and Arizona as well as in New York, Chicago and Denver.

For weeks, the White House and House Republicans have been deadlocked in discussions over a package that includes more than $61 billion for Ukraine.

The Republican wing demands that the bill and its funding be tied to tougher border security and immigration policy.

(With information from Reuters)