Migrants ride “the Beast” train to US border as deadline looms

A video captured on Sunday shows a train filled with migrants heading toward the US southern border from Mexico, amid a growing humanitarian crisis. The migrants, who are mostly from Central and South America, can be heard cheering and waving as they hang off the sides of the cargo train, known as “the Beast”. The train was traveling from Zacatecas, Mexico, to Ciudad Juárez, a border city near El Paso, Texas. The footage comes as the US is preparing to end a pandemic-era immigration restriction called Title 42, which allows border agents to expel most migrants without giving them a chance to seek asylum. The policy is set to expire on September 21, and many migrants are hoping to enter the US before then. According to US Customs and Border Protection, more than 200,000 migrants were encountered at the southern border in August, the highest number in 21 years. Many of them are families with children and unaccompanied minors, who are fleeing violence, poverty and instability in their home cou