Washington, October 23: US President Donald Trump said that the country needs to build a wall fast to protect its borders from Central American migrants.

During a "Make America Great Again" rally in Houston on Monday, Trump told a crowd of nearly 180,000 that the caravan of migrants heading towards the US is "assault on our country" and that "we need a wall built fast", reports Xinhua news agency.

Earlier on Monday, Trump said Washington will begin cutting off or reducing aid to Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, citing migrant caravans heading to the US border.

Trump's Houston rally is his latest campaign appearance leading to the mid-term elections set on November 6. He will go to Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Illinois to galvanise more supporter for the Republicans. Migrants March to US: Over 3,000 in Mexico Enroute American Border, Donald Trump Vows to Stop 'Illegal Aliens'.

Over the weekend, thousands of migrants, mostly from Honduras, have swarmed into Mexico after passing the Guatemalan border. The media reported that Mexican police watched the procession with vigilance but did not disturb the migrants' journey.

Official data showed that the Trump administration has sharply slashed aid to the three countries in Central America, projecting some 40 per cent plunge in aid in the 2019 financial year compared with that of 2016.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 23, 2018 11:15 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).