(Photo : Josue Decavele/Getty Images) A Honduran migrant pushes a stroller with his children and belongings after crossing the border on January 16, 2021 in El Florida, Guatemala.

Thousands of Hondurans on a migrant caravan are headed to the United States border, calling on the incoming Biden administration to honor its "commitments" to migrants.

A report from Reuters noted that the migrant caravan was also seen in small skirmishes with Honduran security forces as they tried to cross the border into Guatemala on Friday night.

Even after hundreds of migrants have been detained by Guatemalan military, groups of Hondurans continued to trickle past the said border.

People in the migrant caravan are hoping to leave behind poverty, gang violence, unemployment and natural disasters, reported DW.

The country was hit by two violent hurricanes in November and some say the caravan is seeking to escape the aftermath of the said tragedy.

Related story: Honduran Woman Gives Birth on Mexico-U.S. Border Bridge

"The combination of COVID-19, social exclusion, violence and climate-related disasters that occur at the same time with a magnitude seldom seen before in Central America raises new humanitarian challenges," a statement from the International Committee for the Red Cross said on Friday.

The migrant movements come amid fears of a surge at the U.S. border once President-elect Joe Biden is officially in office.

About 6,500 People in Migrant Caravan, More Than Half in Guatemala

Hondurans who were part of the larger migrant caravan tried to get past Guatemala without registering on Friday, said a report from The Associated Press.

A spokesperson for Guatemala's immigration authority estimated that there must be about 6,500 migrants moving north, and around half of them are already in Guatemalan territory.

Meanwhile, a Honduran police officer told local reporters that "more or less 5,000 people" have already passed a highway checkpoint as they formed a caravan.

The report added that the migrant caravan was hoping for a warmer welcome once they attempt to cross the U.S. border.

 

It is believed that these migrants, including families with young children, moved out around 4 a.m. local time to reach the Guatemalan border.

In a statement, migrant rights group Pueblo Sin Fronteras spoke on behalf of the migrant caravan in a statement. They recognized the incoming government's commitment to migrants and asylum seekers.

For them, these changes will help Mexico and Central America develop policies and migration management that also promote "the population in mobility."

"We will advocate that the Biden government honors its commitments," the statement read.

The security ministry for Honduras refused to offer comment on the caravans.

Biden's Promises on Border Security Reverse Current Policies

Throughout his campaign, President-elect Biden promised that he would reverse the policies on border security and immigration under the Trump administration, noted Fox News.

Read also: Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration's Sweeping Asylum Restrictions

He vowed to end the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) that says migrants have to stay in Mexico as they await hearings. Critics said the MPP was a cruel and risky rule for migrants who seek for new beginnings in the U.S.

Biden also said those who are in the U.S. illegally will be given a pathway to citizenship with a moratorium on deportations by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Biden also made promises related to asylum cooperative agreements in Northern Triangle countries.