Several hundred migrants in a caravan of Central Americans, traveling through Mexico to seek asylum in the US, have arrived in Mexican border city of Tijuana. What awaits them are thousands of US troops that have been deployed to the border by President Donald Trump. Phil Lavelle reports.

They're so close, they can practically taste their dream. They can definitely see it, just feet away as they stand in Tijuana, Mexico.

The first members of the caravan of migrants, who've traveled thousands of miles, slowly now, reaching the US-Mexico border. Many from Honduras and other Central American countries.

JOSE CHRISTIN HONDURAN MIGRANT "We're waiting for everyone (in the caravan) to come, and we're going to see what solution there is, now that we're right at the door (to the US). And, some are coming with the idea that some family members will cross (the border) with coyotes (smugglers), others will request asylum."

Originally, some seven thousand strong, now thought to be about half that. And, those who got a head start finally arriving at their destination, including 80 or so LGBT asylum seekers. They broke off from the main caravan, reportedly hitching rides to get ahead of the crowd.

CESAR RICO HONDURAN LGBT MIGRANT "We come fleeing from trouble. We come fleeing from discrimination. We come fleeing from a lot of violence in Honduras and Central America, so we ask, we plead. 'Help us, open your doors!' We don't come to do any evil, we come to help develop the United States even more."

On Wednesday, as more migrants arrived, some even breached the border, climbing up on top, reports of others landing on US soil, before climbing back over as US border guards arrived. They don't want to be arrested and deported.

PHIL LAVELLE US-MEXICO BORDER, SAN DIEGO "The focus now is on making that fence impenetrable. You've got contractors over there putting up razor wire to stop anybody climbing over, there is this mesh here to stop things being passed through and if that wasn't enough, those extra guards that are posted here, hammering home the message that if those on the Mexican side want to come into the US, they have to do it through a legal crossing and follow the proper process."

There are around five-thousand extra troops here now on top of the two thousand border guards you'd normally find. The Trump administration eager to show force against what it's described as "an invasion".

JOSE CHRISTIN HONDURAN MIGRANT "For now, we're waiting to see what solutions there might be after a while, to see if there's a possibility to enter or not. Because if there's no possibility to enter and if we're going to run a lot of risks, then we're going to wait for a while here in Tijuana."

And so, as the barriers go up even more, literally and metaphorically, the migrants hope they'll be allowed in. But with thousands seeking asylum and each having to be interviewed one-by-one, it may be months before they each learn their fate. Phil Lavelle, CGTN, on the US-Mexico border.