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US-Mexico border crossing closed as migrants chant: 'We are not criminals!' Teargas fired on migrants as US agents close Mexico border crossing
(35 minutes later)
Amid heated rhetoric from Donald Trump and confusion over a reported deal to keep asylum seekers in Mexico, all traffic was halted on Sunday at the busy border crossing between San Diego and Tijuana. US Customs and Border Protection said on Twitter traffic in both directions was suspended at the San Ysidro port of entry.Amid heated rhetoric from Donald Trump and confusion over a reported deal to keep asylum seekers in Mexico, all traffic was halted on Sunday at the busy border crossing between San Diego and Tijuana. US Customs and Border Protection said on Twitter traffic in both directions was suspended at the San Ysidro port of entry.
The Associated Press reported that migrants approaching the border were enveloped with teargas after a few tried to breach the fence separating the two countries. US agents shot the gas, according to an AP reporter on the scene. Children were screaming and coughing in the mayhem.The Associated Press reported that migrants approaching the border were enveloped with teargas after a few tried to breach the fence separating the two countries. US agents shot the gas, according to an AP reporter on the scene. Children were screaming and coughing in the mayhem.
Several hundred Central American migrants, mostly men, had pushed past a blockade of Mexican police near the crossing, seeking to pressure the US to hear their asylum claims. The migrants carried hand-painted American and Honduran flags and chanted: “We are not criminals! We are international workers!” Honduran migrant Ana Zúñiga, 23, told the AP she saw migrants open a small hole in concertina wire at a gap on the Mexican side of a levee, at which point US agents fired teargas at them.
US border patrol helicopters flew low overhead while US agents kept vigil on foot beyond the wire fence. “We ran but when you run the gas asphyxiates you more,” she said, holding her three-year-old daughter, Valery.
Mexico’s Milenio TV showed images of migrants trying to jump the fence. A few yards away on the US side, shoppers streamed in and out of a mall.
More than 5,000 migrants have been camped in and around a sports complex in Tijuana after making their way through Mexico in caravans. Many hope to apply for asylum in the US but agents at the San Ysidro entry point have been processing fewer than 100 asylum petitions a day.More than 5,000 migrants have been camped in and around a sports complex in Tijuana after making their way through Mexico in caravans. Many hope to apply for asylum in the US but agents at the San Ysidro entry point have been processing fewer than 100 asylum petitions a day.
On Saturday the Washington Post reported that the Trump administration had reached a deal with the incoming Mexican government, which takes office on 1 December, to hold asylum seekers south of the border. The incoming interior minister then said no deal had been reached.On Saturday the Washington Post reported that the Trump administration had reached a deal with the incoming Mexican government, which takes office on 1 December, to hold asylum seekers south of the border. The incoming interior minister then said no deal had been reached.
Some of the migrants who went forward on Sunday called on each other to remain peaceful. They appeared to easily pass through the police blockade without using violence. A second line of police carrying plastic riot shields stood guard outside a Mexican customs and immigration plaza, where the migrants were headed. That line of police installed tall steel panels outside the Chaparral crossing on the Mexican side of the border, completely blocking incoming traffic lanes. On Sunday several hundred migrants, mostly men, pushed past a blockade of Mexican police near the crossing. The migrants carried hand-painted American and Honduran flags and chanted: “We are not criminals! We are international workers!”
US border patrol helicopters flew low overhead.
Some of the migrants called on each other to remain peaceful. They appeared to easily pass through the police blockade without using violence. A second line of police carrying plastic riot shields stood guard outside a Mexican customs and immigration plaza. That line of police installed tall steel panels on the Mexican side of the border, completely blocking incoming traffic lanes.
Trump used the caravans as an election issue in this month’s midterms, sending US military to the border and authorising troops to use lethal force.Trump used the caravans as an election issue in this month’s midterms, sending US military to the border and authorising troops to use lethal force.
Earlier on Sunday the president tweeted: “Would be very SMART if Mexico would stop the Caravans long before they get to our Southern Border, or if originating countries would not let them form (it is a way they get certain people out of their country and dump in US. No longer).”Earlier on Sunday the president tweeted: “Would be very SMART if Mexico would stop the Caravans long before they get to our Southern Border, or if originating countries would not let them form (it is a way they get certain people out of their country and dump in US. No longer).”
Irineo Mujica, who has accompanied the migrants for weeks as part of the aid group Pueblo Sin Fronteras, said the aim of the march towards the border was to make the migrants’ plight more visible to the governments of Mexico and the US.Irineo Mujica, who has accompanied the migrants for weeks as part of the aid group Pueblo Sin Fronteras, said the aim of the march towards the border was to make the migrants’ plight more visible to the governments of Mexico and the US.
“We can’t have all these people here,” Mujica told the Associated Press.“We can’t have all these people here,” Mujica told the Associated Press.
On Friday, Tijuana’s mayor, Juan Manuel Gastlum, declared a humanitarian crisis in his city of 1.6 million, which he said was struggling to accommodate the crush of migrants.On Friday, Tijuana’s mayor, Juan Manuel Gastlum, declared a humanitarian crisis in his city of 1.6 million, which he said was struggling to accommodate the crush of migrants.
US-Mexico borderUS-Mexico border
US immigrationUS immigration
MexicoMexico
US domestic policyUS domestic policy
Trump administrationTrump administration
AmericasAmericas
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