Thousands of migrants making their way towards the United States remain stuck on a river crossing between Guatemala and Mexico without food or water.
The migrants, part of a caravan of around 4,000 people, have vowed to remain there until Mexican authorities grant them entry into the country despite conditions on the bridge worsening with a growing pile up of rubbish and no bathrooms.
Tensions flared on the Suchiate river crossing late on Friday when the migrants attempted to force their way across the border and Mexican riot police threw tear gas at the crowd.
Meanwhile, many Hondurans, mostly men, swam across the river and remain on the riverbank on Saturday, on the Mexican side of the border, waiting for the rest of the caravan to cross.
Around 200 people who did manage cross, mainly women and children, were taken to an immigration centre, where their details were recorded.
AP
They were later transported to a convention centre located in the city of Tapachula, an hour’s drive from the border, that has been turned into a makeshift shelter.
The remaining migrants – thought to number about 3,000 – have also moved about 30 feet back from the Mexican border gate, in order to avoid repeating the chaos caused on Friday night.
Selvin Flores, a 35-year-old Honduran shopkeeper, said people who "were causing disorder" have been expelled from the group and handed over to Guatemalan police.
AFP
The caravan formed last Saturday in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, and arrived in Guatemala on Monday.
Migrants within the group have said they are bound for the United States, seeking work and fleeing political corruption and violence.
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The caravan has drawn the ire of President Donald Trump, who threatened to shut down America’s southwest border if Mexico did not halt the group, despite the huge impact it would have on trade flows between the two countries.
Migrant caravan
He also repeated a threat to suspend foreign aid to the governments of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador if they fail to act.
Mr Trump has been focusing on immigration as he campaigns for Republican candidates ahead of November’s midterm elections.
He has called the attempt to enter the US an "assault on our country" at rallies and stressed that tackling immigration was far more important to him than trade.
AFP
The president’s administration has struggled to tackle the worsening immigration numbers as Mr Trump hits the limits of what he is able to legally do without the support of Congress.
The issue has caused a deep rift among Mr Trump’s top advisers, culminating in a heated row between his chief of staff John Kelly and national security adviser John Bolton last week.
Mr Trump on Saturday blamed "obstructionist" Democrats for the failure to tackle the issue. "We could write up and agree to new immigration laws in less than one hour. Look at the needless pain and suffering that they are causing. Look at the horrors taking place on the Border," he said.
If the Democrats would stop being obstructionists and come together, we could write up and agree to new immigration laws in less than one hour. Look at the needless pain and suffering that they are causing. Look at the horrors taking place on the Border. Chuck & Nancy, call me!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 20, 2018
After the caravan’s leaders, Bartolo Fuentes, a former Congressman, and Juan Carlos Lopez, were arrested by the Guatemalan authorities and deported to Honduras, there has been a notable absence of leadership within the group.
On Friday night, tensions and scuffles erupted as exhausted Hondurans, many of whom are traveling with young children, braced themselves to spend the night on the bridge.
AFP
A group of women began to sing and pray in an effort to calm the situation. “I felt very scared. I kept running back and forth because I’m not used to this mayhem”, said Heidy Marleny Castro, 44, who is travelling with her two youngest children, aged 8 and 13.
“We’re going to stay here until we get help, no matter how long it takes. If need to endure hunger and thirst, so be it,” she said.
Like many other Hondurans, Mrs Castro is fleeing rampant violence as well as poverty. Two of her children were murdered in 2015.
With a total of 3,791 murders in 2017 (a murder rate of 42.8 per 100,000 inhabitants), Honduras is one of the most dangerous countries in the world.
Reuters
Although the caravan’s goal is to reach the United States, some Hondurans have said they would be willing to apply for working visas in Mexico, after newly elected president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador promised to provide job opportunities to Central Americans.
“If we’re given the opportunity to reach Mexico, at least we’ll be in a safer place”, said Mrs Castro. “We’re here because we have no other choice. We want a better life for our children."