THOUSANDS of Central American migrants traveling together to enter the United States have hunkered down in shelters in a southern Mexico city along its border with Guatemala, according to local officials.

The migrants pose a tough challenge to the Mexican Government’s pledge to stop the illegal travelers’ plans to press ahead to the U.S. border.

More than 5,100 migrants have been registered in three shelters in the Mexican border town of Ciudad Hidalgo, while another 2,000 camped out for the night in the town’s central square, said Gerardo Hernandez, head of the local government’s emergency services.

In a statement Saturday night, Mexico’s federal government said “nearly 900 migrants” had arrived by unauthorized means, while 640 had been processed after being allowed to cross into the country via the international border crossing on the Suchite River that divides Guatemala from Mexico.

Earlier in the day, the presidents of Honduras and Guatemala said about 2,500 migrants had either already been repatriated to Honduras or were in transit back home, many using free bus tickets doled out by Guatemalan police.

(SD-Agencies)