Migrant March to America: Why thousands of asylum seekers are heading to the US

Thousands of migrants from Central American countries are continuing their march through Mexico in an attempt to enter the US.

A caravan of around 5,000 immigrants have been travelling through Mexico for the past month in the hopes of gaining asylum.

US President Donald Trump has condemned the efforts of the migrants to reach US borders, threatening to close them altogether and cut of aid to countries allowing caravans to pass.

Tensions between migrants and Mexican authorities reached breaking point earlier this week as they unleashed tear gas on to migrants on the bridge between Mexico and Guatamala.

As the migrants continue their long journey towards the US border, here's everything you need to know about why they're marching and how world leaders have responded:

How did the march start?

The caravan of immigrants first caught the attention of the media back in March, when their numbers reportedly totalled around 1,000.

Buzzfeed News reported that the immigrants were travelling through Mexico in the hopes that when they reached the US border, American authorities would grant them asylum or be absent when during their attempt to cross the border illegally.

Mr Trump responded by vowing to scrap Barack Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA), which protects about 800,000 young immigrants who came to the US without the correct documentation when they were children.

He also said Republicans needed to take the "nuclear option" when it came to imposing tougher immigration laws.

In April, he tweeted: "Border Patrol Agents are not allowed to properly do their job at the Border because of ridiculous liberal (Democrat) laws like Catch & Release.

"Getting more dangerous. 'Caravans' coming. Republicans must go to Nuclear Option to pass tough laws NOW. NO MORE DACA DEAL!"

Who are the migrants and why are they marching?

In their original report, Buzzfeed News claimed that 80 per cent of migrants are from Honduras, whilst the remainder are from other Central American nations.

Desperate Hondurans are escaping widespread gang violence and poverty. Criminals have extorted Hondurans into paying a "war tax" for their survival - meaning those who can't pay are often killed.

José Anibal Rivera, 52, an unemployed security guard from San Pedro Sula joined the caravan on Sunday after crossing into Mexico on a raft. He said: “There are like 500 more people behind me.

“Anything that happens, even if they kill me, is better than going back to Honduras.”

According to Mexican authorities, from Friday to Sunday, 1,028 people requested asylum in Mexico.

Where is the migrant caravan?

As of Monday, the migrants are at the Central Park Miguel Hidalgo in the Mexican town of Tapachula, about 37km (23 miles) from Mexico’s southern border with Guatemala.

Migrants plan to continue moving north until they reach Huixtla.

Who organised the march?

The march was organised by Pueblos Sin Fronteras, or People Without Borders, with the intention of trying to draw attention to the plight of immigrants at home.

When the march first started, organisers estimated that around two-thirds of people were planning on crossing into the US undetected or asking for asylum.

Can the migrants claim asylum in the US?

Yes. Under the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees - not to mention its own immigration laws - the US is obliged to protect persecuted people.

Under these laws, migrants do not have to claim asylum in the first "safe" country they reach. Migrants could also easily argue that Mexico is unsafe as a legitimate reason to claim asylum in the US.

What has President Trump said?

President Trump posted a series of tweets in which he refers to the migrants as "illegal aliens" and attacks the countries that allowed them to pass.

On Sunday, he tweeted: "Full efforts are being made to stop the onslaught of illegal aliens crossing our (southern) Border.

"People have to apply for asylum in Mexico first, and if they fail to do that, the US will turn them away. The courts are asking the US to do things that are not doable!"

In another tweet, he wrote: "The caravans are a disgrace to the Democrat Party. Change the immigration laws NOW!"

Mr Trump has also repeatedly claimed that democrats are funding the caravan. At a rally in Montana, he said: "a lot of money has been passing to people to come and try and get to the border by election day, because they think that's negative for us...They have lousy policy...they wanted that caravan and there are those that say that caravan didn't just happen. It didn't just happen."

Mr Trump has threatened to pull out of the free trade agreement with Mexico unless the country do more to stop the flow of immigrants entering the US.

How have Central American nations responded?

Having also been threatened with having aid cut off, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández has urged citizens not to join the march.

Mexico have said it would stop those who did have passports or the correct visas at its southern border and anyone who wants to be recognised as a refugee or a beneficiary of "complementary protection measures" must do so individually.

Mexican authorities have also said they are asking for help from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to process migrants seeking refugee status.

According to the latest reports, around 900 migrants have crossed the river and made it into Mexico - without the police intervening.

What happens next?

Donald Trump has declared a national emergency over the US-bound caravan.

He tweeted: "Sadly, it looks like Mexico's Police and Military are unable to stop the Caravan heading to the Southern Border of the United States.

"I have alerted Border patrol and Military that this is a National Emergency."

Despite Mr Trump's declarations of emergency, the Pentagon has so far not been asked to provide additional support to National Guard troops on the border, according to Pentagon spokesman Army Lieutenant Colonel Jamie Davis.

Referring to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, he said the US would be "cutting off, or substantially reducing, the massive foreign aid routinely given to them."

However, the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act prevents the President from withholding money provided by Congress.

Eliot Engel, the top Democrat on the House Committee of Foreign Affairs, said: "Fortunately, Congress - not the President - has the power of the purse, and my colleagues and I will not stand idly by as this Administration ignores congressional intent."