
Guatemala has stationed guards and barbed wire barricades at key border crossing with Honduras in an apparent attempt to stop more migrants marching towards US.

Police officers and what appear to be soldiers in combat fatigues were pictured blocking the road and checking trucks at the Aguas Calientes crossing point, which was used by the first two caravans to enter the country.

It comes after President Trump vowed to cut aid money to any nation failing to stop the migrants, which for Guatemala amounted to more than $230million in 2017.

Guatemala has stationed soldiers and police officers behind barbed wire barricades at a key crossing point with Honduras in an attempt to stop migrants entering their country on the way to America

At least two caravans of migrants numbering around 8,500 people have used this crossing point on their long march to the US, but amid reports that thousands more are on their way, Guatemala has attempted to block them

The move comes after Donald Trump threatened to cut aid to countries failing to help stop the migration. Last year Guatemala received more than $230million in US assistance

There are thought to be 14,000 people in total heading from Honduras to the US, at least 8,500 of which have already breached the Guatemalan border - though that still leaves thousands more who must attempt the crossing

Security forces stand to attention at the border between Guatemala and Honduras on Tuesday as they prepare to block any more migrants from crossing

Police officers armed with riot shields inspect a truck as it passes from Honduras into Guatemala. Migrants frequently stow aboard truck on their journey cross-country

A first caravan of 7,000 migrants headed from Honduras and across Guatemala and is now resting in Mexico. A second has entered Guatemala and is currently traveling cross-country. But amid reports that thousands more are about to follow in their footsteps, Guatemala has closed a key border crossing that the first two groups used

The Aguas Calientes route has been used by two caravans of migrants to get into Guatemala - the first one of which has now reached Mexico, and the second of which is still in Guatemala, around 200 miles behind the first.

But according to Mexican newspaper El Universal there could be another 3,000 people heading for the Guatemalan border, which authorities are hoping to block.

El Universal, quoting the Mexican National Migration Institute, reports that around 7,000 migrants have already crossed into their country from Guatemala, despite attempts to block them at the border.

Another 3,000 are stuck at the border crossing in Ciudad Hidalgo, the newspaper reports, while applying for paperwork to enter Mexico legally.

HOW MANY MIGRANTS ARE THERE IN CARAVAN? According to the Mexican government, the most recent statistics are; Main caravan in Mexico: 7,000 2nd caravan in Guatemala: 1,500-2,000 2,000 planning to mobilize in Honduras 500 planning to mobilize in El Salvador Advertisement

Another 3,000-4,000 people are gathered around the border between Honduras and Guatemala, including some who have already crossed and are now heading for Mexico.

The first caravan had been advancing across Mexico at the rate of 20 miles per day, reaching the town of Huixtla on Monday night, before resting on Tuesday in honor of a man who died falling from a truck.

Mexican authorities said they were providing limited food, water and medical supplies to those in the caravan, including children running high temperatures from the long march.

On Wednesday morning the group left Huixtla before the sun rose, intending to march around 40 miles to the town of Mapastepec, where they will rest there for the night.

Meanwhile a second caravan, believed to number around 1,500, spent Monday night in the town of Chiquimula, Guatemala, and were pictured hitching rides on trucks on Tuesday as they continued across the country.

Once in Mexico, both groups face an arduous march of at least 1,000 miles to the nearest border crossing point with the US in McAllen, Texas.

A group of around 1,500 Hondurans made its way into Guatemala on Sunday night and has since reached Zacapa, some 70 miles from the crossing point, after hitching rides on trucks passing along the highway

People travel in what has become known as the second migrant caravan as they hitch rides across Guatemala in an attempt to reach the American border, some 1,300 miles away

A man passes out food among a second wave of migrants hitching rides across Guatemala having made it across the border

Central American migrants, part of a second wave of migrants heading to the US, hitchhike on a truck on Tuesday

The first caravan, which has already walked for more than 300 miles, decided to pause in Huixtla on Tuesday in order to honor one man who died after falling from a truck

Migrants left Huixtla in southern Mexico on Wednesday morning to make their way towards the town of Mapastepec around 40 miles away. These are the migrants who are the furthest ahead and there are 7,000 of them in total, according to officials. They spent the two nights in Huixtla and have now resumed their journey

Migrants walk along the road from Huixtla to Mapastepec on Wednesday morning while some cram into trucks in the next leg of the journey

Despite the death of a man who fell from an overcrowded truck in Tapachula on Monday, many clambered on top of vehicles to try to speed up the journey and give their weary feet a rest on Wednesday morning

It is expected that many will drop out along the route and either return home or apply to reside in Mexico, as happened with another group who made the journey earlier this year.

THIRD CARAVAN PLANNED IN EL SALVADOR A group of around 250 people is planning to set off from El Salvador in what will become a third migrant caravan on October 31. According to NBC, White House officials are monitoring the group which is discussing its plans over WhatsApp. Though the group is significantly smaller than the others already on their way, US officials are particularly concerned that it may include members of MS-13, an El Salvadorian gang notorious for recruiting youngsters and applying unthinkable violence to its rule. Advertisement

Mexico says immigration authorities have now received 1,699 refugee applications. Those people are no longer with the caravan and are being sheltered in the city of Tapachula.

Another 495 Hondurans have voluntarily decided to return to their home country with assistance from Mexico.

As the migrants continued in their journey, President Trump continued complaining about it on Twitter.

'For those who want and advocate for illegal immigration, just take a good look at what has happened to Europe over the last 5 years. A total mess!

'They only wish they had that decision to make over again.

'We are a great Sovereign Nation. We have Strong Borders and will never accept people coming into our Country illegally!' he tweeted on Wednesday morning.

On Tuesday, the president was admitted he had 'no proof' for his claim that there were 'people from the Middle East' among the thousands of Central Americans in the group.

The Department of Homeland Security, however, confirmed it for him.

In a series of tweets on Tuesday, spokesman Tyler Houlton said that not only were there Middle Easterns among the group, there were criminals from 'Africa and South East Asia' too.

Some of the migrants held Mexican and Honduran flags on Wednesday morning as they set off in the dark to walk 40 miles

The group rose before sunrise on Wednesday to resume their journey after taking Tuesday off to rest in honor of a man who died falling from a truck he had hitched a ride on. Some are in wheelchairs, there are countless babies and the group also includes some elderly

Before the sun rose on Wednesday, the group led the way with candles and lighters. They are battling stifling temperatures which have caused concern among Red Cross doctors and humanitarian groups

The first caravan set off from San Salvador last week and crossed through Honduras and Guatemala with relative ease before arriving at Mexico's border with Guatemala on Friday. After briefly clashing with police, they were let through and are now marching north towards the US. The second caravan is now in Chiqimula, Guatemala, and is being bused to the border to catch up with the others

'DHS can confirm that there are individuals within the caravan who are gang members or have significant criminal histories.

'Citizens of countries outside Central America, including countries in the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, and elsewhere are currently traveling through Mexico toward the U.S,' he said.

He went on: 'Stopping the caravan is not just about national security or preventing crime, it is also about national sovereignty and the rule of law. Those who seek to come to America must do so the right and legal way.'

The majority of those fleeing Honduras say they are seeking a better life in America, blaming a lack of jobs, rampant corruption and soaring crime for leaving.

In Honduras, around 80 per cent of workers earn below the minimum wage of a few hundreds dollars per month, with government welfare programs doing little to help since most of the money is siphoned off by corrupt officials.

Further compounding this misery is the fact that more than 90 per cent of crimes go unsolved, including thousands of murders each year.

In 2012, Honduras had the highest murder rate in the world, and while the government claims there have been significant reductions since then, these figures have not been independently verified.