Donald Trump has claimed that US troops will consider any rocks thrown by migrants at the border as 'firearms'.
The US President has been ramping up his anti-immigrant rhetoric in the lead up to next week's mid-term elections.
He has faced significant criticism over a campaign ad blaming Democrats for 'letting in' an undocumented immigrant who killed two police officers in 2014.
Senior Democrat Tom Perez described the ad as "divisive Donald at his worst", while Republican Jeff Flake called it "sickening".
This is a sickening ad. Republicans everywhere should denounce it. https://t.co/5sftOt57pI
— Jeff Flake (@JeffFlake) November 1, 2018
US media outlets have also questioned the claim that the immigrant highlighted in the ad was allowed in under a Democratic administration.
However, much of President Trump's focus has been on the 'migrant caravan' of around 4,000 people currently travelling through Mexico towards the US border.
While numbers in the group have dwindled and the remainder are not expected to arrive at the border for weeks, President Trump has already deployed more than 5,000 troops to the southern border.
He has suggested he could increase the number of troops to up to 15,000.
"They're not coming in"
At the White House yesterday, President Trump held a press conference at the White House focused on illegal immigration.
Addressing potential clashes at the US border, he said: "Anybody throwing stones, rocks like they did in Mexico.... where they badly hurt police and soldiers of Mexico... we will consider that a firearm.
"There's not much difference when you get hit in the face of a rock."
CNN reports there have been clashes between some migrants and Mexican forces - including one that left a Honduran national dead, and some other migrants and police officers with 'minor injuries'.
At a rally in Missouri, meanwhile, President Trump told supporters that thousands of migrants travelling through Mexico towards the border were an "invading force".
He said: "These are tough people. These are not little angels... and we're not letting them into our country. They're not coming in illegally."
The US President has previously claimed that unknown 'Middle Easterners' are among the members of the caravan - but has admitted he has no evidence to back his claim.
