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Thousands of migrants in Mexico as they make their way to the U.S. border.
USA TODAY

With thousands of asylum-seeking migrants making their way to the US-Mexico border, the Trump administration is looking at options to restrict or block their ability to enter the country.

Officials said it is part of an overall plan to crack down on border crossings – which migrants are part of the caravan that left Honduras on Oct. 12 and are more than 1,000 miles from the U.S. border.

"The Administration is considering a wide range of administrative, legal and legislative options to address the Democrat-created crisis of mass illegal immigration," White House official said. "No decisions have been made at this time. Nor will we forecast to smugglers or caravans.

more: President Trump latches onto a migrant caravan

Part of that overall plan involves manpower: The Pentagon is preparing to deploy at least 800 troops to the border.

Trump also has the necessary seal.

Department of Homeland Security Department Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said Thursday night that the Trump administration is considering all options to deal with the migrant caravan.

"Everything is on the table," Nielsen told Fox News in an interview from Yuma, Arizona.

"If they come here illegally with no legitimate reason to stay, they will definitely be apprehended and removed immediately," she said.

"They should be seeking refuge in Mexico," said Nielsen. "To ignore, basically, and continue, in some cases, to come to the United States raises questions of what their real motives are."

"This caravan is not coming to the United States.

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Human Rights First, a non-profit and non-partisan rights group, spoke out against this proposed regulation, saying President Trump is "misinterpreting the law."

"The fact that the president can apply to us is where we say no," Jennifer Quigley said.

She's an Advocate Strategist for Refugee Protections with Human Rights

Quigley said such a move from the Trump administration would be a violation of the U.S. Constitution's due process and obligations under international law, such as the Refugee Convention.

The restrictions under consideration recall Trump's travels early in his presidency against predominantly Muslim countries. This summer, a very high division of U.S. Supreme Court upheld the ban as a legitimate exercise of executive branch authority.

At the time of the court's ruling, Trump said:

"In this era of worldwide terrorism and extremist movements, it is a very important step forward for us to understand the importance of this phenomenon. what it takes to secure our border and our country. "

Contributing: Rafael Carranza at The Arizona Republic.

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