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A caravan of more than 7,000 migrants is embarking on a thousand-kilometre journey through Mexico, aiming for the border with the USA.

The migrants are mainly from Honduras and are hoping to find a better life in the U.S. Parents with young children are fleeing violence and a lack of job opportunities in their home countries.

A reporter described the caravan as being "a river of people".

They are battling hot weather, a lack of food and exhaustion in their epic flight.

The Washington Post reported that there were many in the caravan who were recently deported from the U.S. after having lived there illegally for decades.

They are desperate to be reunited with their children still living in the U.S.

The U.S. government has made it clear that it will stick to the law regarding any applications for asylum.

It will turn away all migrants who don't apply for asylum in Mexico first.

There has been a "zero-tolerance" policy towards migrants to deter people from attempting to enter the country illegally.

There was public outcry earlier this year after U.S. authorities separated migrant children from their parents at the border. U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted: "Sadly, it looks like Mexico's police and military are unable to stop the caravan heading to...the United States. Criminals and unknown Middle Easterners are mixed in."

He has vowed to reduce or cut off foreign aid to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

Large groups of Central American migrants are walking north through Mexico, defying President Trump and facing little resistance from authorities. Although Trump has described the groups as “invaders,” those walking are unarmed, and many are women and children who say their goal is to seek asylum in the United States. We will be tracking the caravans' advance through Mexico and U.S. preparations for their arrival at the border.

What you need to know:

• Two caravans, each with more than 3,000 travelers, are trailed by at least two additional groups of several hundred migrants
• Trump has said up to 15,000 U.S. troops could be sent to the Mexico border, far more than the 5,200 additional personnel announced by the Pentagon
• The Trump administration also is considering a plan to deny asylum to migrants at the border

 interview of a migrant 

“We don’t know what route we’re going to take,” said Carlos Alonzo Escobar, 29, a Salvadoran member of Pueblo Sin Fronteras, an activist group that has been guiding and assisting the caravan.

Migrants who want a shorter trip could travel along Mexico’s Gulf Coast, toward the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas, a journey of about 600 miles.

They could opt for a middle route that would take them toward El Paso. But these options could be more dangerous, taking migrants through areas with some of the worst reputations for attacks by criminal groups.

The Tijuana-San Diego route is considered safer, but it’s at least twice as far as south Texas.

“I want the longer, safer route for my family,” said Lester Oseguera, 30, from Colón, Honduras. “We don’t want to have people be killed or kidnapped just because we’re in a hurry.”