1000 migrant caravan faces roadblocks in Guatemala

About 1,000 Honduran migrants headed for the United States became increasingly desperate Friday in the face of a police and army roadblock in northern Guatemala that was preventing them from continuing toward the United States.

Fears of a confrontation grew as over 100 Guatemalan soldiers and police blocked the migrants, who became increasingly frustrated with the lack of food and forward movement after walking hundreds of kilometres from Honduras earlier this week.

Guatemala immigration authorities said some of the original group of about 2,000 migrants had agreed to return to Honduras.

The others had split between two routes: Some travelled north to Peten, where the roadblock was, some hitched rides aboard passing trucks, others walked or took buses west toward the capital, Guatemala City.

The new group was reminiscent of a migrant caravan that formed two years ago shortly before US midterm elections.

It became a hot issue in the campaign, fueling anti-immigrant rhetoric.

Guatemala's immigration agency reported Friday that 108 migrants had voluntarily agreed to return to Honduras.

Another 25 unaccompanied minors were in the care of social services.

Migrant caravans from Central America gained popularity in recent years because they provided some degree of safety in numbers and allowed those who couldn't afford to pay a smuggler to attempt the trip to the United States.

At first, they received generous support from the communities they passed, especially in southern Mexico.

Last year, however, US President Donald Trump threatened crippling tariffs on Mexican imports if it didn't slow the flow of migrants to the US border.

Mexico responded by deploying the National Guard and more immigration agents to intercept large groups of migrants.

The last attempted caravan was broken up by Mexican guardsmen in January.

This week, Mexico has been warning that it will enforce its immigration laws and even prosecute people who knowingly put public health at risk.

Even if the migrants were allowed to cross Mexico without interference, the US has essentially closed its border to legal immigration and entering illegally is as difficult as ever.

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