Waagacusub.Com TECUN UMAN, Guatemala -- A standoff between thousands of Central American migrants trying to reach the United States and Mexican police stretched through the night at Mexico's southern border, with some migrants hanging from the closed border gate wailing "there are children here." Others slept on a crowded bridge linking Guatemala to Mexico. 

As of early Saturday, thousands were stuck on Mexico's southern border after a failed attempt to enter the country, BBC News reported.

Members of the migrant caravan, comprised of more than 3,000 migrants, had earlier burst through a Guatemalan border fence and rushed onto the bridge over the Suchiate River. Men and women, some with young children and babies drenched in sweat, began storming and climbing the barrier — tearing it down. They defied Mexican authorities' entreaties for an orderly crossing and U.S. President Donald Trump's threats of retaliation. 

But they were met Friday by a wall of police with riot shields on the Mexican side of the bridge. About 50 managed to push their way through before officers unleashed pepper spray and the rest retreated, joining the sea of humanity on the bridge. 

Police and immigration agents began letting small groups of 10, 20 or 30 people through the gates if they wanted to apply for refugee status. Once they file a claim, they can go to a shelter to spend the night. 

Source CBS News