The caravan has comprised between 3,000 - 5,000 people at various times as it moved through Guatemala Thousands of Honduran migrants whose trek toward the United States has triggered a series of tirades from US President Donald Trump resumed their long march Sunday after crossing a river into Mexico. Mexican authorities had managed to block the "caravan" of migrants on a border bridge between Mexico and Guatemala, but many later forged the river below using makeshift rafts -- regrouping early Sunday to march north. Trump said "full efforts" were underway to halt the caravan's progress toward the United States. "Full efforts are being made to stop the onslaught of illegal aliens from crossing our Souther(n) Border," Trump tweeted. "People have to apply for asylum in Mexico first, and if they fail to do that, the U.S. will turn them away." Nevertheless, around 3,000 people were marching in the caravan on the Mexican side, according to an estimate from a federal police commander whose forces were closely monitoring the migrants' progress. About a thousand migrants, including women and children, were still stranded on a border bridge hoping to enter Mexico legally via Guatemala. Honduran migrant caravan head to the US, on the Guatemala-Mexico international border bridge in Mexico. Mexican authorities insisted those on the bridge would have to file asylum claims one at a time in order to enter the country. "No Stopping Us" While the migrants on the bridge waited to be processed, those who had managed to get to the Mexican side were heading to Tapachula -- the next stop on a journey of at least 3,000 kilometers to the border between Mexico and the United States. "No one is going to stop us, after all we've gone through," said 21-year-old Aaron Juarez, who was accompanied by his wife and baby and was walking with difficulty because of an injury. A Guatemalan firefighter carries an ailing baby, as an Honduran migrant caravan heads to the US. "We are tired, but very happy, we are united and strong," added Edwin Geovanni Enamorado, a Honduran farmer who said he was forced to leave his country because of intimidation by racketeering gangs. The caravan left San Pedro Sula in northern Honduras -- 700 kilometers to the south -- last weekend, following a call on social networks relayed by a former Honduran deputy. The politician, Bartolo Fuentes -- a member of leftist former president Manuel Zelaya's Freedom and Refoundation Party -- told AFP he only reproduced a poster on his Facebook page. The poster invited people on a "Migrant march" with a slogan: "We're not leaving because we want to, but because we are being expelled by violence and poverty." The caravan has comprised between 3,000 - 5,000 people at various times as it moved through Guatemala, according to various sources. Hondurans await for fellow migrants to jump from the Guatemala-Mexico international border bridge into the Suchiate river, to swim or board a raft to reach Mexico Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales said more than 5,000 migrants had entered Guatemala from Honduras, but that some 2,000 had since returned home. Officials of the national disaster management agency, CONRED, told AFP that more than 1,000 Hondurans had left the caravan between Friday and Sunday, taken home on a fleet of buses laid on by the Guatemalan government. Honduran migrants push a stroller with a baby as they take part in a caravan towards the US On Saturday, Mexican authorities opened the border for women and children on the overcrowded bridge, taking them to a shelter in the city of Tapachula, about 40 kilometers from Ciudad Hidalgo. Rafting The River Throughout Saturday, around 900 migrants -- tired of waiting on the bridge -- resorted to crossing the Suchiate River below on makeshift rafts and police did not intervene as they clambered up the muddy riverbank on the Mexican side. Morales and his Honduran counterpart Juan Orlando Hernandez said after meeting on Saturday the march was "violating the borders and the good faith of the states." Many women and children are still stranded on border bridge hoping to enter Mexico legally via Guatemala The Honduran president admitted however that social problems were a contributory factor: "Without a doubt, we have a lot to do so that our people can have opportunities in their communities. Migrants denied their motives were political. "We decided to join those who were going," said Edgar Aguilar. "This is not political. This comes from hunger, from the draught, it's for prosperity, for a better life. This is not political!" Another migrant, who gave his name as Jaled, said they were marching "because there is no work in Honduras, no education, nothing good. The cost of life increases every weekend." The migrants are generally fleeing poverty and insecurity in Honduras The migrants are generally fleeing poverty and insecurity in Honduras, where powerful street gangs rule their turf with brutal violence. With a homicide rate of 43 per 100,000 citizens, Honduras is one of the most violent countries in the world, according to a Honduran university study.<doc-sep>A growing caravan of roughly 7,000 Central American immigrants continued its trek toward the United States on Sunday, blowing past Mexican police and immigration officials. The group, which has swelled in size in recent days, set out before dawn on the only road out of the small Mexican border town of Ciudad Hidalgo. It arrived in the afternoon in the city of Tapachula, more than 20 miles away. The migrants, nearly all from the poor and violent nation of Honduras, posed a growing political and humanitarian calamity for Mexico, which has come under intense pressure from President Trump to stop them. On Friday, Mexican police used tear gas to block migrants from storming an official border crossing. But in the days since, Mexico has appeared unwilling to use force to stop the thousands of people who have illegally crossed the Suchiate River from Guatemala into Mexico and started walking north. Advertisement That may be in part because the migrants include hundreds of women and small children, some in strollers. It could also be because of the daunting size of the caravan, which stretched for at least two miles. As the caravan headed north Sunday in the 90-degree heat, another group of roughly 1,500 migrants waited on the Guatemalan side of the river, hoping to enter Mexico legally. Authorities said more than 1,000 caravan members already have entered legally and applied for refugee status in Mexico and are being detained while their applications are processed. The migrants left Honduras more than a week ago and began arriving several days ago at the Guatemalan border town of Tecun Uman, just across the river from Ciudad Hidalgo. Most say they intend to cross into the United States, not seek refuge in Mexico. Some complain that they were unable to find work in Honduras. Others say they are fleeing violence or political repression there and hope to apply for asylum in the U.S. I’m only just realizing the massive scale of this caravan as they march north into Mexico. It’s several thousand people. Just look. pic.twitter.com/aRuoLNYTZg — Kate Linthicum (@katelinthicum) October 21, 2018 The caravan is more than two miles long. People near the end are stumbling. It’s 23 miles to Tapachula and it’s so hot — 90 degrees — today. — Kate Linthicum (@katelinthicum) October 21, 2018 Ingrid Andino, her husband and their two children left their small town in Honduras about a month ago after a local gang started pressuring her 16-year-old son to sell drugs. “They were going to kill him or kill us,” she said. Advertisement Andino said her family stayed with relatives in another town for a time before seeing the caravan on the news and deciding to join. On Sunday, she and her family walked north in a line, holding hands, while she carried a bag containing the family’s possessions balanced on her head. Trump has made the caravan a campaign issue at rallies across the country ahead of the U.S. midterm elections, calling it a menace to national security. He has threatened Mexico and Central American countries with economic reprisal if they fail to stop the migrants and vowed to send the military to close the U.S. border should the group make it that far. Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, under pressure from Trump, has said repeatedly that no migrants will be allowed to enter the country in an “irregular” manner. Mexico’s deterrence of those who tried to storm the official border crossing Friday drew praise from Trump. Advertisement But when droves of people began crossing the river, swimming or boarding rafts, Mexican police and immigration agents just watched. Gerardo Hernandez, head of the civil protection agency in the municipality of Suchiate, Chiapas, said that as of Saturday night, 7,233 immigrants had been registered at a shelter in Ciudad Hidalgo. The group formed an imposing bloc as it began to march Sunday. Many Mexicans who live in the area lined the highway, handing out free clothes, sandwiches and bottles of water while cheering the caravan on. “May God bless you!” one woman shouted. Advertisement “Thank you, Mexico!” the migrants shouted back. Several times, large groups of police officers clad in riot gear blocked the road but then retreated. At one point, a small group of police watched as members of the caravan passed, some of them skipping. When a small group of immigration officials tried to stop the caravan to persuade its members to apply for political asylum, the caravan swept past them, too. As the day wore on, the enthusiasm drained somewhat. Advertisement The strongest of the group, mostly young men, led while the weaker fell behind. One teenage girl stumbled into a car parked on the shoulder of the highway, then rested her head for a brief moment on the trunk. Others carried cases of water, stuffed animals or children. Paola Oviedo, 21, walked while hugging her 18-month-old son to her chest. She was panting, and she and her baby were both sweating heavily. Oviedo, who crossed the Suchiate River on a raft, said she decided to leave Honduras after facing death threats from her abusive ex-husband. The police did nothing to help her, she said. She said she didn’t want her son to grow up without his mother. Advertisement “I have to do this for his future,” she said. Each immigrant was driven by a different dream. For Cesar Meijia, 23, it was the freedom to be himself. When Meijia came out as gay several years ago, his family sent him to a psychologist and the local gang threatened to kill him, saying they did not want people like him in their neighborhood. “I want to go to a place where people respect me,” he said, marching with a rainbow flag tied across his broad shoulders. Advertisement For Ramon Izaguirre, 20, the dream was to return to the life he left behind. Izaguirre was born in Honduras but later moved to Phoenix with his mother. She cleaned houses while Izaguirre worked construction. He earned enough to buy a small condominium and a silver Mazda Miata.<doc-sep>See the recovery efforts in Gaza as ceasefire appears to hold 'Is everything I'm trying to do pointless? ': Syrians helpless in face of 'sham' election Brother of journalist detained in Myanmar says family is hopeful Report: US companies may have benefited from forced labor of Uyghurs Residents stand near stalls along a road amidst debris while strong winds batter Balasore district in Odisha state on May 26, 2021 as Cyclone Yaas barrels towards India's eastern coast in the Bay of Bengal. (Photo by Dibyangshu SARKAR / AFP) (Photo by DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP via Getty Images) France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) and Rwanda's President Paul Kagame speak as they walk in the grounds of The Presidential Palace in Kigali on May 27, 2021, after their press conference and prior to their official luncheon. - French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Rwanda on May 27, 2021, for a highly symbolic visit aimed at moving on from three decades of diplomatic tensions over France's role in the 1994 genocide in the country. Macron is the first French leader since 2010 to visit the East African nation, which has long accused France of complicity in the killing of some 800,000 mostly Tutsi Rwandans. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP) (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images) Relative of detained Iranian-Americans fears they will not survive (CNN) — Honduran migrants in a massive caravan surged across a bridge leading to Mexico on Friday before they were halted in a chaotic confrontation with a phalanx of Mexican police in riot gear. Chanting and cheering migrants pushed through or climbed over a steel gate until police threw tear gas and smoke canisters and pushed the migrants back. Video showed coughing and weeping migrants collapsed on the bridge. Several police and an undetermined number of migrants were injured. As night fell, thousands of migrants remained packed together and exposed to the elements on the Suchiate River bridge connecting Tecun Uman, Guatemala, and Tapachula, Mexico, according to CNN crews on the ground. Pedro Pardo/Getty Images An aerial view shows the migrant caravan waiting on the Guatemala-Mexico international bridge in Ciudad Hidalgo, Chiapas state, Mexico. As the migrants formed into lines, Mexican authorities allowed a trickle of them, starting with women and children, to pass through gates and board buses for refugee camps. It was unclear how many migrants would cross the border and how long that process would take. Mexican authorities have said they’d allow migrants to enter the country if they have valid visas or meet other requirements. The caravan formed last Saturday in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, and arrived in Guatemala on Monday. Migrants in the group told CNN en Español they were bound for the United States, seeking work and fleeing political corruption and violence. Leaders throughout the region have publicly urged them for days to turn back. Pompeo: ‘This is an organized effort’ Photos: The caravan's journey, in photos PHOTO: Guillermo Arias/AFP/Getty Images Migrants heading in a caravan to the United States rest on a basketball court in San Pedro Tapanatepec, Mexico. on Sunday, October 28. Photos: The caravan's journey, in photos PHOTO: Rodrigo Abd/AP Migrants rest on a road between the Mexican states of Chiapas and Oaxaca after federal police briefly blocked them outside the town of Arriaga on Saturday, October 27. Photos: The caravan's journey, in photos PHOTO: Rodrigo Abd/AP The caravan comes to a standstill after police block it outside Arriaga on Saturday. Photos: The caravan's journey, in photos PHOTO: Rebecca Blackwell/AP Police in riot gear block the highway to stop a caravan of thousands of Central American migrants from advancing through Mexico on Saturday. Photos: The caravan's journey, in photos PHOTO: Rodrigo Abd/AP Migrants travel on a cattle truck, as a thousands-strong caravan of Central American migrants slowly makes its way toward the US border, between Pijijiapan and Arriaga, Mexico, on Friday, October 26. Photos: The caravan's journey, in photos PHOTO: Guillermo Arias/AFP/Getty Images Migrants heading in caravan to the United States rest on the train tracks in Arriaga, Mexico. Photos: The caravan's journey, in photos PHOTO: Guillermo Arias/AFP/Getty Images A truck of migrants heads in a caravan to the United States. Defense Secretary James Mattis is expected to sign deployment orders that could send 800 or more US troops to the border. Photos: The caravan's journey, in photos PHOTO: Adrees Latif/REUTERS Jensi, a 14 year old migrant girl from Honduras, baths in a fresh water stream as she and others, part of caravan of thousands from Central America en route to the United States, take rest in Pijijiapan, Mexico on October 25. Photos: The caravan's journey, in photos PHOTO: Rebecca Blackwell/AP Central American migrants rest for the night in Pijijiapan, Mexico, on Thursday, October 25. Photos: The caravan's journey, in photos PHOTO: UESLEI MARCELINO/REUTERS Families rest on a roadside between Mapastepec and Huixtla, Mexico, while traveling with thousands of migrants from Central America in a caravan en route to the United States, on Wednesday, October 24. Photos: The caravan's journey, in photos PHOTO: Pedro Pardo/AFP/Getty Images Migrants ride on the back of a truck heading to the US border from the outskirts of Tapachula, Mexico, on Monday, October 22. The majority of migrants made their way on foot. But some also flagged down cars and trucks passing by and piled onto any vehicle that would take them. Photos: The caravan's journey, in photos PHOTO: Jose Mendez/EFE/EPA Migrants take shelter from the weather under a tarp as they rest in the town of Huixtla, Mexico, on October 22. Photos: The caravan's journey, in photos PHOTO: José Méndez/EFE/Sipa USA Migrants select clothes that have been placed along the road by Mexican citizens. Photos: The caravan's journey, in photos PHOTO: Jose Mendez/EPA/REX/Shutterstock Migrants rest in the town of Huixtla, Mexico. Photos: The caravan's journey, in photos PHOTO: Moises Castillo/AP Migrant men bathe using water from a fire hydrant at the main plaza in Tapachula, Mexico. Photos: The caravan's journey, in photos PHOTO: John Moore/Getty Images A migrant caravan headed to the United States walks into Mexico after crossing the Guatemalan border on Sunday, October 21.<doc-sep>Migrants in a caravan making its way north through Central America towards the US border have torn down gates and are making their way over a bridge into Mexico - with officials warning the trip will bring swift retribution from the Trump administration. Young men in the caravan reportedly began on Friday violently tugging at a tall yellow fence in the way of the group before eventually tearing the barrier down. Men, women, and children then began rushing towards the bridge to Mexico that stands about 150 years (137 meters) away. The fence toppling came just after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray to discuss the caravan, which started in Honduras last weekend. “It’s a challenge that Mexico is facing, and that’s how I expressed it to Secretary Pompeo,” Mr Videgaray said in a news conference with the US secretary of state. The Mexican government has asked for assistance from the United Nations refugee agency to help it process migrants arriving on the country’s southern border and seeking refugee status. Processing those refugee claims could allow the Mexican government to disperse the caravan, and placate President Donald Trump, who is adamantly opposed to allowing any of the individuals into the US. People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Show all 16 1 /16 People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Demonstrators march during the "Day Without Immigrants" protest in Chicago, Illinois, February 16, 2017. Theopolis Waters/Reuters People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Demonstrators march during the "Day Without Immigrants" protest in Washington, DC, U.S., February 16, 2017. Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. The crowd, which grew to well over a thousand participants, marched from the Austin City Hall to the Texas State Capital. Across the country hundreds of restaurants and eateries are closing for the day to protest President Trump's immigration policies and to highlight the contributions of immigrants to U.S. business and life. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants AUSTIN, TX - FEBRUARY 16: Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Demonstrators march during the "Day Without Immigrants" protest in Chicago, Illinois, February 16, 2017. Theopolis Waters/Reuters People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Demonstrators march during the "Day Without Immigrants" protest in Chicago, Illinois, February 16, 2017. Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. The crowd, which grew to well over a thousand participants, marched from the Austin City Hall to the Texas State Capital. Across the country hundreds of restaurants and eateries are closing for the day to protest President Trump's immigration policies and to highlight the contributions of immigrants to U.S. business and life. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. The crowd, which grew to well over a thousand participants marched from the Austin City Hall to the Texas State Capital. Across the country hundreds of restaurants and eateries are closing for the day to protest President Trump's immigration policies and to highlight the contributions of immigrants to U.S. business and life. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants High school student Kathia Suarez holds up a sign as she protests with others outside the Grayson County courthouse in downtown Sherman, Texas, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017. LM Otero/AP People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants High school senior Vicky Sosa holds a sign outside the Grayson County courthouse in downtown Sherman, Texas, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017. In an action called "A Day Without Immigrants," immigrants across the country are expected to stay home from school, work and close businesses to show how critical they are to the U.S. economy and way of life. LM Otero/AP The caravan that is now at the Mexico border is composed of several thousand Honduran migrants who are seeking to scape violence and poverty in their home country. Mr Videgaray said earlier on Friday that the caravan was composed of some 4,000 people and each could present their claims to enter the country with refugee status. “We haven’t had a caravan or group of this size seeking refuge at the same time, that’s why we’ve sought the support of the United Nations,” he said on Mexican television.<doc-sep>
See the recovery efforts in Gaza as ceasefire appears to hold 'Is everything I'm trying to do pointless? ': Syrians helpless in face of 'sham' election Brother of journalist detained in Myanmar says family is hopeful Report: US companies may have benefited from forced labor of Uyghurs Residents stand near stalls along a road amidst debris while strong winds batter Balasore district in Odisha state on May 26, 2021 as Cyclone Yaas barrels towards India's eastern coast in the Bay of Bengal. (Photo by Dibyangshu SARKAR / AFP) (Photo by DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP via Getty Images) France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) and Rwanda's President Paul Kagame speak as they walk in the grounds of The Presidential Palace in Kigali on May 27, 2021, after their press conference and prior to their official luncheon. - French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Rwanda on May 27, 2021, for a highly symbolic visit aimed at moving on from three decades of diplomatic tensions over France's role in the 1994 genocide in the country. Macron is the first French leader since 2010 to visit the East African nation, which has long accused France of complicity in the killing of some 800,000 mostly Tutsi Rwandans. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP) (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images) Relative of detained Iranian-Americans fears they will not survive (CNN) — Crowds of migrants resumed their long journey north on Sunday from the Mexican border city of Ciudad Hidalgo, according to Mexican federal police officers. The caravan was headed for Tapachula, a city about 37 kilometers (23 miles) north of the Mexico-Guatemala border, the officers told CNN. There were about 10 buses awaiting migrants along the highway between Tapachula and Ciudad Hidalgo and the drivers had been instructed to carry the migrants to shelters in Tapachula, the officers said. It was unclear how many of the group were from the migrant caravan and how many were Mexicans who joined the march. One migrant, a 20-year-old Honduran named William, told CNN he crossed into Mexico via a float that carried him across the muddy Suchiate River on Saturday. Natalie Gallón/CNN A 20-year-old named William said he left Honduras looking for work. He left home looking for work, he said, and was ultimately bound for either Mexico or the United States, wherever he could land a job. “There is no work back home,” he said. “No future.” From Friday to Sunday, 1,028 people requested asylum in Mexico, Mexican authorities said Sunday. The government said 346 migrants in “vulnerable” conditions had been transferred to a shelter in the state of Chiapas. In earlier statements, the government said authorities had given “priority attention” to elders, children and women – some of whom were pregnant. It said there were 2,200 migrants remaining on the bridge connecting Guatemala and Mexico, and about 900 tried to cross into Mexico illegally. The Honduran Foreign Ministry previously said 2,000 people in the caravan had turned around and headed home. Thousands of Central American migrants fleeing poverty and violence were initially prevented from crossing the bridge. On Friday, Mexican authorities began allowing a trickle of migrants, starting with women and children, to pass through the gates and board buses bound for refugee camps. Caravan of migrants continues trip into Mexico, thousands of people. pic.twitter.com/VbZWFjxzQC — Patrick Oppmann CNN (@CNN_Oppmann) October 21, 2018 Others pushed through or climbed over a steel gate before riot police stopped them with tear gas and smoke canisters. Some migrants collapsed, coughing or weeping, according to video from the scene. It’s unclear exactly how many migrants were allowed to legally cross the border into Mexico, where they were taken to shelters to rest. On Saturday, with the punishing heat bearing down on them, some migrants took matters into their own hands, and crossed into Mexico on rafts that ferried them across the river. We confirmed the Guatemala side is open if #CaravanaMigrantes wants to go back. But some are choosing to jump pic.twitter.com/DEvQSPoJoX — Bill Weir (@BillWeirCNN) October 20, 2018 One of the migrants marching to Ciudad Hidalgo, Luis Miguel Martinez, 30, also said his goal was to find work in the United States so he could feed his family, including two daughters he left behind in Honduras. He was carrying a pink backpack and a blanket for a woman who also had a small child. But he was happy to help. “We are one group,” he said. “One people.” The crowd stretched all the way to the horizon.