In pictures: Photojournalist wins top award for portrayal of migrant caravan

Throughout 2018 and 2019 thousands of Central American's headed north, hoping to cross the US border in search of a better life. Guillermo Arias won a prestigious photojournalism award documenting their dangerous journey.

Parents who are seeking asylum in the United States often bring their children, under the belief this will support their application. However, families face harsh treatment at the border with sometimes even very young children being separated from their parents and placed in detention camps alone.

The journey for the migrants to reach the US border is dangerous and could take weeks. Those that decide to join the caravans come from countries such as Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador. They are prepared to walk up to 2,000 kilometers (1,242 miles), as well as boarding trucks and trains to flee criminal violence in their home countries and seek a better life in the US.

Migrants help a child catch a ride on a truck on the road linking Sayula de Aleman and Isla, Veracruz state, Mexico. Mexico continues to be a very important migration corridor as many migrants think it would now be easier to enter the US via Mexico.

The sheer numbers of migrants headed toward the US is a huge strain on Mexico, and coping requires considerable resources and coordination. Mexico's policy towards the migrants has become much more lenient and the country now offers medical care and access to education for their children.