Migrant caravan: Tear gas on Guatemala Mexico border

A Honduran man hits the shield of a riot policeman after storming the Guatemalan checkpoint to enter MexicoReuters

Thousands of would-be migrants are stranded on the border between Guatemala and Mexico, after Mexican police blocked their bid to reach the US.

On Friday some tried to force their way across the frontier bridge, reportedly throwing rocks at riot police.

The officers used tear gas to push back the crowd, most of whom are from Honduras.

President Trump, who has threatened to cut aid to Honduras over the issue, thanked Mexico for holding back the group.

The migrants, whose numbers include children and elderly people, say they are simply trying to escape violence and poverty.

Jari Dixon, an opposition politician in Honduras, tweeted on Monday that the caravan was not "seeking the American dream" but "fleeing the Honduras nightmare".

These pictures capture the scenes unfolding on the Guatemala-Mexico border.

A Honduran man protects his baby amid clashes between migrants and Mexican PoliceReuters
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A woman covers her young son's mouth with his tshirt. Tear gas was fired by Mexican police as they tried to force back the crowd.Reuters
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A police officer holds the arm of a Honduran migrant as she tries to cross a border checkpoint into MexicoReuters
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Aerial images show dense crowds at the Guatemala-Mexico international bridge in Tecun Uman, Guatemala.

An aerial view of the migrant caravan on the Guatemala-Mexico border bridgeAFP/Getty Images
An aerial view of a road filled with migrants stretching back into the distanceAFP/Getty Images
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An aerial view of the migrant group reaching the Guatemala-Mexico international bridge in Tecun Uman, GuatemalaAFP/Getty Images
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Some migrants have tried to avoid the border checkpoint in Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico, by crossing the Suchiate river.

Makeshift rafts carried some across the water, while others swam or waded.

Several makeshift rafts carry migrants across the riverAFP/Getty Images
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Men cross the Suchiate River with the help of rope to avoid the border checkpoint in Ciudad HidalgoReuters
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A Honduran man catches a backpack thrown to him after crossing the Suchiate riverReuters
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A woman crawls onto the riverbank after crossing the Suchiate River with the help of fellow migrantsReuters
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Many are sleeping on the bridge that links Mexico and Guatemala or by the nearby checkpoint.

Honduran migrants rest on the bridge that links Mexico and Guatemala, in Ciudad Hidalgo, MexicoReuters
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Honduran migrants rest at the checkpoint between Guatemala and Mexico, in Tecun Uman, GuatemalaReuters
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President Trump has threatened to call up the US military and shut the border with Mexico to keep out the group.

A BBC map showing the migrant caravan's route through Honduras and Guatemala
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A young Honduran migrant wearing an American flag t-shirtAFP/Getty Images
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Honduran migrants wait behind a gate after crossing the fence on the border with Guatemala to enter MexicoEPA
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The migrants include many parents travelling with young children.

Honduran migrants hold up a child in a buggy while gathering at the Guatemalan borderReuters
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This family spent the night of 19 October at a temporary shelter in Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico.

A man, a woman, and two small children rest at a temporary shelter in Ciudad Hidalgo, MexicoAFP/Getty Images
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At the border bridge, a Guatemalan firefighter was pictured carrying a sick young boy.

A Guatemalan firefighter carries an ailing toddler while speaking to a woman, possibly the boy's motherAFP/Getty Images
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In Honduras, protests have been held in support of the migrants in the capital city, Tegucigalpa.

Protesters burn the US flag during a march in support of the caravan of migrants, in Tegucigalpa, HondurasEPA
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Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez has asked permission to send his country's civil protection force to Guatemala to help the migrants.

"I also asked for authorisation to hire ground transportation for anyone who wants to return, and an air bridge for special cases of women, children, the elderly and the sick," Mr Hernandez tweeted.

All pictures subject to copyright

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