Mexican protesters voice anger against migrant caravan heading towards US

Hundreds of Mexican residents have been protesting over the arrival of thousands of Central American migrants in the border city of Tijuana.

Nearly 3,000 migrants from a caravan heading towards to US have poured into Tijuana in recent days after more than a month on the road.

The Mexican federal government estimates the number of migrants could soon swell to 10,000 and there are growing tensions in the city.

Hundreds of Mexicans gathered in Tijuana to protest. Credit: AP

Residents waved Mexican flags, sang the national anthem and chanted "Out! Out!" in front of a statue of the Aztec ruler Cuauhtemoc, one mile from the US border.

They accused the migrants of being messy, ungrateful and a danger to Tijuana.

"Let their government take care of them," one woman said, who accused the migrants of travelling to Mexico in search of handouts.

More than 3,000 migrants have arrived in Tijuana in recent days. Credit: AP

US president Donald Trump has repeatedly railed the migrant caravan, describing it as an "invasion" and in a tweet on Sunday he said they should "go home".

Alden Rivera, the Honduran ambassador in Mexico, said on Saturday that 1,800 Hondurans have returned to their country since the caravan first set out on October 13, and that he hopes more will make that decision.

"We want them to return to Honduras," said Mr Rivera.

Migrants taking shelter nearby. Credit: AP

Tijuana mayor Juan Manuel Gastelum has called the migrants' arrival an "avalanche" that the city is ill-prepared to handle, calculating that they will be in Tijuana for at least six months as they wait to file asylum claims.

Mr Gastelum has appealed to the federal government for more assistance to cope with the influx.

Mexico's interior ministry said the federal government was flying in food and blankets for the migrants in Tijuana.

Protesters chanted 'Out! Out!'. Credit: AP