Migrant caravan: Asylum seekers travel through Mexico as Trump walks back suggestion that migrants throwing stones will be shot at border

Critics say the president is stoking fears about the caravan for political reasons ahead of midterm elections

What is the Migrant Caravan heading to the Mexico-US border?

Thousands of refugees and migrants from Central America are walking and hitchhiking northwards through Mexico, with Donald Trump walking back his suggestion that any migrants found throwing stones at the US border could be shot by the military.

In addition to this original group, more than 1,000 migrants in a second caravan that forced its way across the river from Guatemala have begun arriving in the southern Mexico city of Tapachula.

President Trump made clear Thursday he will do everything in his power to stop them, dispatching extra troops, threatening to shut border entirely and saying in an afternoon press conference the military would consider rocks thrown at active troops "firearms". He later said that no migrants would be shot by the American military, but that anyone throwing rocks would be arrested.

The issue is being amplified by the president with less than a week before the midterm elections, and various sources have implied or stated without proof that Democrats and progressive donors are somehow funding the caravan that is composed of individuals and families fleeing dangerous conditions in their home countries in Central America. Others, including Mr Trump, have claimed — again, without proof — that the caravan includes "Middle Easterners". The president also indicated that he has no proof that Middle Easterners are in the caravan.

While numerous news outlets and watchdog groups have tried and failed to find proof for those claims — and none has been provided — Republicans clearly see a winning strategy in trying to tie Democrats to the caravan.

In the contentious Texas Senate race, for example, Senator Ted Cruz has attacked his Democratic opponent, Congressman Beto O'Rourke, and claimed that his campaign has been funding the migrant caravan. That statement was not substantiated with evidence that any of that financial support has occurred.

To see how the day unfolded, follow our live blog below.

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Key Points

• Mr Trump says that migrants at the US-Mexico border who throw rocks at American troops may be shot — before backpedalling on that statement amid criticism
• As many as 2,000 people in the caravan heading towards the US-Mexico border are thought to be children
• Many of the migrants are suffering with few supplies — they are in danger of heat stroke, dehydration, and many other life threatening conditions
• A racist advert attacking Democrats over the deaths of police officers at the hands of an undocumented immigrant appears to have been pretty misleading, to say the least
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[2 November 2018 18:10 · Clark Mindock]

President Donald Trump's statements that soldiers may shoot migrants if they throw rocks at them have been seized by a foreign army in an apparent justification for having killed dozens of people.

The Nigerian army tweeted a video of Mr Trump's comments on Friday with a caption that read as follows: "Please Watch and Make your Deductions".

Mr Trump had suggested that his soldiers might view rocks as firearms — and the Nigerian army's tweet shows how far-reaching the rhetoric of an American president.

The Nigerian army has been accused of killing 45 demonstrators earlier this week at what Amnesty International calls "peaceful protests".

[2 November 2018 18:38 · Clark Mindock]

President Donald Trump appears to be backing down from his comments that migrants who throw rocks at US soldiers may be shot.

After receiving criticism for claiming that American soldiers sent to the US-Mexico border might open fire on migrants with rocks, the president said on Friday that anyone throwing rocks would be arrested, but not fired upon.

His statement, though, had quite the impact — a video of him saying shooting might happen was even used by the Nigerian army to justify the killing of 45 people earlier this week at what human rights advocates have described as a peaceful demonstration.

[2 November 2018 18:50 · Chris Stevenson]

Here is some footage of the caravan captured by the Associated Press using a drone:

 

[2 November 2018 19:22 · Chris Stevenson]

A number of Honduran migrants are suing the president over his policies on the border:

[2 November 2018 20:27 · Chris Stevenson]

Here is more detail on the use of Mr Trump's words by the Nigerian army:

[2 November 2018 20:47 · Chris Stevenson]

Here is our latest story on Mr Trump's latest remarks about the caravan:

[2 November 2018 21:02 · Chris Stevenson]

We are ending our coverage for today, thanks for reading.