TAPACHULA, Mexico/GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - A group of over a thousand Central Americans in Guatemala headed toward the Mexican border on Tuesday, as a larger caravan of migrants that has angered U.S. President Donald Trump paused in southern Mexico on its planned journey toward the U.S. border.

Trump has vowed to begin cutting millions of dollars in aid to Central America and called the caravan in Mexico a national emergency as he seeks to boost his Republican Party’s chances in the Nov. 6 congressional elections.

The caravan, mostly Honduran migrants fleeing violence and poverty at home, is currently in the town of Huixtla in Chiapas state, around 31 miles (50 km) north of the Guatemalan border and a distant 1,100 miles (1,800 km) from the United States.

Mexico’s government said in a statement on Tuesday that it had received 1,699 requests for refugee status, including children. The government estimates there are around 4,500 people in the group.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-caravan/second-migrant-caravan-in-guatemala-heads-toward-mexico-idUSKCN1MX2JP