Migrant caravan traveling through Mexico City clashes with police

Thousands of migrants making their way through Mexico clashed over the weekend with police as they approached Mexico City.

According to BBC News, about 550 police officers were deployed to confront the caravan and escort it through the Mexican capital. 

The group was reportedly planning to visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, an oft-visited pilgrimage site. But the police reportedly cut off the group's plans and told members to spend the night at a hostel, then move on. 

Mexican law enforcement say that the conflict began when migrants began throwing rocks and attempting to disarm the police.

Migrants told the BBC that they felt threatened upon being surrounded by police in tactical gear. 

The group had been walking along the Puebla-Mexico City highway when confronted by police.

The clash occurred in the context of the thousands of people who have trekked through Mexico in the last year to reach the U.S. southern border.

The Biden administration recently moved to reimplement the "Remain in Mexico" policy, a Trump-era measure that requires asylum seekers to wait in Mexico until their cases are heard in the U.S. The Biden White House has committed to completing asylum  proceedings within six months of a person's return to Mexico.