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US President Donald Trump has defended the use of tear gas on a host of migrants, including children, attempting to cross the US-Mexican border on Sunday.
Border officers were forced to act because they "had been rushed by very hard people," Trump said.
Critics have accused the Trump administration of a draconian response, while Mexico has asked the United States to investigate its use of tear gas.
Mexico says it deported nearly 100 migrants who tried to enter the United States.
Sunday's confrontation erupted after the migrant march in Tijuana, which took uncontrollable proportions. Hundreds of migrants have tried to cross the barriers separating Mexico from the United States.
The United States Customs and Border Protection, which monitors the border, said that its staff was badaulted and stoned.
Women and children were among those trying to protect themselves from government-issued tear gas, prompting the condemnation of actors and some politicians.
What did Mr. Trump say?
Speaking in Mississippi, Mr. Trump said that border officials were right to use tear gas. "Here is the essential: no one comes to our country unless they enter legally."
He added that the gas used was "very safe" and constituted a "very minor form" of tear gas.
However, some journalists present at the scene disputed this claim, saying the tear gas was painful even at a significant distance.
"Minor form of tear gas" ?! I felt this thing burn in my face hundreds of meters away. Most people in the walk – parents included – thought it would be a way to ask for help from the United States. It may sound naïve, but they really did not know it would escalate or tear gas be used. Https://t.co/q62fmNWEXM
– Natasha Pizzey (@natasha_pizzey) November 27, 2018
End of Twitter post by @natasha_pizzey
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tear gas can cause burning eyes and mouth, shortness of breath and burning or rash. Prolonged exposure can lead to blindness or breathing problems.
The Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons prohibits the use of tear gas in wartime, but allows it for the purpose of law enforcement in the country.
- How dangerous is tear gas?
US Secretary of Homeland Security, Kirstjen Nielsen, defended the use of tear gas, claiming that customs officers were entitled to "self-defense".
However, the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent the US government a diplomatic note expressing concern over the use of non-lethal weapons and calling for a thorough investigation.
Mr. Trump also asked why the parents took their children to the site and said that some of the people at the border were not parents, but "thieves" who had brought children with them to improve their lives. chances of asylum.
Ms Nielsen accused migrant caravan organizers of using women and children as "human shields" during their meetings with law enforcement, "putting vulnerable people at risk".
Mr. Trump and Ms. Nielsen did not provide evidence in support of their claims.
What do people say on the border?
About 7,500 migrants have arrived at the US-Mexico border in recent weeks.
Migrants, mostly from Honduras, but also from Guatemala and El Salvador, say that they are fleeing the threat of violence in their home country and seeking to improve their lives and that of their own. their families.
A photo of Maria Meza and two of her girls fleeing tear gas was widely distributed online and used by several major newspapers.
Ms. Meza, from Honduras, stated that she had not tried to cross the border and that she was looking at the other side of the fence only when tear gas had been used. .
Copyright of the image
Reuters
This photo of Maria Meza and her twin daughters escaping tear gas has been widely circulated online
Copyright of the image
Reuters
Maria Meza is described as a single mother who wanted to support her children
"I was scared," she told BuzzFeed News. "I caught my daughters and ran … I thought my children would die with me because of the gas we had inhaled."
At the same time, a Honduran migrant at the border told AFP that US authorities had started using tear gas as the border approached.
"The alarm went off and they started tearing us in. A person was hit and many children fainted, so some people threw stones and threw them because that many children have fainted. "
The migrants traveled in large groups, called "caravans", over 4,000 km from Central America.
President Trump has promised to keep every migrant on the Mexican side of the border until the courts have ruled on their cases, which means that some are facing a long wait.
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