New caravan heading to US makes first border crossing in Guatemala

Roughly 1,000 Honduran migrants arrived Wednesday at the Guatemalan border as they trek toward the U.S. border, according to The Associated Press.

The groups of migrants included dozens of children and individuals who say they are fleeing poverty and dim economic prospects in Honduras. Roughly 200 Guatemalan police officers and soldiers oversaw the group as it arrived at the border, according to the report.

Migrants displayed their documents to security personnel at the Agua Caliente border crossing, the AP reported.

{mosads}The group of migrants departed the Honduran city of San Pedro Sula on Monday. Roughly 600 people were traveling in the group, with roughly 300 climbing aboard buses and another 300 walking.

It was unclear whether the caravan would head for Tijuana, Mexico, the AP reported, where thousands of migrants from previous caravans have remained in recent months.

President Trump on Tuesday called attention to the new caravan in a tweet calling on congressional Democrats to stop “playing political games” and end a partial government shutdown, now in its 26th day, which was sparked by his demand for funding for a wall on the southern border.

Last year, Trump repeatedly painted a separate migrant caravan as an imminent threat to national security, claiming repeatedly it was filled with criminals and calling it an “invasion.”

He made the issue a focal point of his campaign rallies during the midterms elections, where the GOP ultimately lost dozens of seats and control of the House, but added to its Senate majority.