A caravan of migrants from the United States broke through a border crossing on Friday and crossed a bridge over Mexico 's southern border with Guatemala, confronted by a strong presence of Mexican and Guatemalan security forces, according to reports. media.

Travelers – 1,500 to 4,000 people, mostly from Honduras – were finally arrested at the river crossing, according to a video broadcast by the Spanish-language network Telemundo.

Some members of the caravan became so desperate that they jumped off the bridge in an attempt to seize one of the makeshift rafts that other migrants were using to cross the river and get on board. to Mexico.

"Amazing view of the Mexican border … tear gas … stones thrown … a caravan wants to enter … can not enter at the moment," commented the ancestor of Telemundo, Tweeted, Jose Diaz-Balart.

The network, which includes reporters traveling with the caravan, showed the Mexican police lined up along the fence, holding it against the waves of migrants trying to pass.

Participants in the caravan shouted that they were firing tear gas, but the video did not know if this was happening. Mexican officials vowed not to hurt or mistreat any of the migrants, but the tension mounted on Friday.

The group was in the first stage of a 1,100 mile stay at the US border. President Donald Trump presented a strong argument for his border policy at rallies leading to the mid-term elections.

In a series of tweets this week, he threatened to cut aid to Central America and close the southern border with Mexico if their respective governments failed to cope with the situation.

The Associated Press initially reported that thousands of migrants had stopped about two blocks from the Canada-Mexico border post before turning around, saying they would wait an hour or so .

The border post, reports the AP, is guarded by a heavy security force and high metal doors. Dozens of Mexican policemen are on the border bridge, and hundreds of others behind them. In Guatemala, government authorities closed the border door and stood guard with dozens of soldiers and two armored jeeps.

The Mexican ambassador to Guatemala said his country had decided to implement a "check-in" policy, with thousands of migrants demanding a crossing, the AP said.

Representatives of the Mexican government have tried to enforce its immigration laws, treat migrants in a humane manner, and no longer oppose an unfortunate White House.

The migration crisis on Mexico's southern border comes just as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is visiting Mexico's top officials in Mexico City on a previously planned trip.

Pompeo met with Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs Luis Videgaray, who proposed that Mexico collaborate with the UN refugee agency to take care of the caravan of mainly Honduran migrants – who are fleeing the country. poverty and violence – before being able to travel to the United States. border. The State Secretary is also due to meet with the new Foreign Secretary, Marcelo Ebrard, who has been appointed to the office of the President-elect, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who will take office on 1 December. .

The mass of migrants arrived in the Guatemalan border town of Tecún Umán, where they slept in the streets and in a park and prepared Friday to cross the Suchiate River – which separates Mexico and Guatemala – and head for north to the US border. Such migrant caravans are not uncommon as people heading north seek safety in numbers as the road through Mexico is full of risks such as kidnapping, rape and extortion .

Mexico said only the holders of the required papers would be allowed to enter the country and sent two federal police officers to the area – which is often so neglected that the migrants simply cross the river in rafts in Mexico without having to pass the customs. .

A senior Mexican official said his government would ask the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to help identify "legitimate" asylum applications for migrants in the caravan.

More: The Trump administration supports Mexico and the UN plan against the caravan of migrants

In Mexico, some have wondered if the plan to accept such a large number of asylum applications would work, given the backlog of pending applications and processing times.

Mexico has received an impressive number of asylum applications in recent years, with many central Americans considering Mexico as their destination country or preferring not to risk crossing an increasingly fortified border in the United States. The country has accepted 14,596 applications in 2017, more than six times the number of applications received in 2104. In February, the National Human Rights Commission warned of "the imminent collapse of the refugee protection system in Mexico ", with half of the applications still remaining. untreated.

According to the Mexican government's plan, migrants whose asylum applications have been rejected would be immediately repatriated to Honduras and other countries, said the Mexican ambassador to the United States, Gerónimo Gutiérrez, in an interview with the government on Thursday. "Special Report" from Fox News.

"We want to make sure these demands are legitimate," he said, noting that a handful of migrants had already applied for asylum in Mexico.

"We are obviously sensitive to the humanitarian situation we are facing," said Gutiérrez. "But we also made it clear that there was no legal reason for Mexico to issue a permit allowing people to simply cross Mexico to the United States."

"Mexico is in favor of legal migration, safe and orderly," he added. "And the step we have taken today is extremely important."

More: Trump claims that Democrats wanted a caravan and reinforce the rhetoric of immigration before the Western movement

More: Trump: end of aid to the countries of Central America allowing a caravan of migrants to travel to the United States

The Trump administration has expressed support for the Mexican government's plan to work with the UN.

"Let's see what progress has been made and what progress we can make in the coming days," Pompeo told reporters traveling with him. "I will say that the Mexican government is working in good faith to try to help achieve this goal."

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