Trump backtracks on threat to shoot migrants

Donald Trump told the military on Friday to consider rocks thrown by migrants crossing the border the same as a rifle.

Donald Trump has pulled back on his threat to shoot migrants who throw rocks. Source: AAP

President Donald Trump pulled back Friday on his previous threat to have soldiers shoot migrants who throw stones at the Mexican-US border.

"I didn't say shoot," he said. "They won't have to fire. What I don't want, I don't want these people throwing rocks."

Instead, Trump told journalists at the White House, stone-throwing migrants or people asking for refugee status on the southern border are "going to be arrested for a long time."

During a Thursday speech on his bid to crack down on illegal immigration, Trump was asked how thousands of troops he has ordered to the border would react if stones were thrown at them.

He responded that stone throwing would be seen as a lethal threat.

"We're not going to put up with that. They want to throw rocks at our military, our military fights back," he said.

A man holding his son tries to flag down a passing truck for a free ride, as the migrant caravan moves north. Source: AAP

"I told them (troops) consider it (a rock) a rifle. When they throw rocks like they did at the Mexican military and police, I say consider it a rifle."

Trump has ramped up the rhetoric daily ahead of next Tuesday's midterm congressional elections, accusing the opposition Democrats of wanting to throw open the borders to floods of "tough people," "rapists" and other types of threats.