Dozens of migrants and refugees have arrived at the US-Mexico border, hoping to be allowed into the United States.

In Eagle Pass, Texas, migrants and refugees from countries including Honduras and Venezuela crossed the Rio Grande River that separates the US and Mexico to encounter an almost impassable wall of barbed wire.

“I’m happy because I’m one step away … but I’m sad because we can’t get through,” said Noe Zelaya, a Honduran who travelled to the border with his wife and two children, aged 12 and five.

“We couldn’t take the maras [gangs] any more,” Zelaya, who worked as a mechanic in the Honduran city of San Pedro Sula, said, referring to organised crime in his country. “That’s why we fled.”

The family crossed the river with water up to their chests, as did a couple of Venezuelans who arrived just as the sun was beating down on Eagle Pass.

“I feel sad because I thought it would be easier getting here,” said Juan Diaz, 28, who identified himself as a Venezuelan military defector fleeing his country’s political and economic crisis. “But my dream is to get here, so I’m going to fight.”

Thousands of people have arrived in recent days at various border points in Texas with few belongings, fleeing political regimes or in search of economic opportunities.

In August, the US reported 232,972 migrants and refugees reached its southern land border, an increase in recent months.