[ad_1]
Breaking News Emails
Receive last minute alerts and special reports. News and stories that matter, delivered the mornings of the week.
By Gabe Gutierrez and Annie Rose Ramos
TIJUANA, Mexico – Tensions rose on Sunday as hundreds of residents protested against the arrival of thousands of Central American migrants who were expected to stay in this border town for months while they were trying to ask asylum in the United States.
A group opposed to the "chaos" of so-called caravans of migrants protested in front of the largest makeshift shelter while the Mexican police in riot gear formed a perimeter. The protesters sang the Mexican national anthem and waved flags urging the migrants to return home.
The protesters said that they had no problem with legal immigration, but they were strongly opposed to what they called an "illegal invasion".
Some protesters said the Mexican government should follow President Donald Trump's initiative and adopt stricter border policies.
"He defends his border, unlike our president," said protester Elvia Vijeras. "Now there will be more violence in Tijuana."
On Friday, the mayor of Tijuana, Juan Manuel Gastelum, described the influx of migrants as "avalanche" that could result in staying in the city for at least six months.
On Sunday, President Trump tweeted about Gastelum's comments, pointing out that the city was "ill-prepared" for migrants.
"Similarly, the United States is ill prepared for this invasion and will not tolerate it," Trump told Twitter. "They cause crimes and big problems in Mexico. Go home!"
Some protesters said they had already disagreed with Trump on some issues, but not this one.
Roy Grant, who lives in Tijuana and works in San Diego, said he feared that mass demonstrations organized by migrants would shut down the port of entry to San Ysidro.
"I think these migrants have to go back to their country," said Grant. "Mexico must adopt a very aggressive and practical approach and expel them."
Grant said that he found himself an unlikely supporter of Trump's uncompromising stance on immigration.
"It's the way he says it, not what he says that shocks people," said Grant.
About 10,000 people cross Mexico in at least three caravans. The first started in early October in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Since then, migrant groups have been walking, taking the bus or driving any vehicle they may have found on their tiring journey north with the intention of seeking asylum in the United States.
Many have said they are fleeing violence and poverty in their home country and that they are traveling together in the hope of having enough safe people on their perilous journey.
Trump has seized immigration issues and caravans ahead of the midterm elections, calling migrant groups "an invasion" and using them to rally his supporters. He also deployed nearly 6,000 soldiers on the southern border.
Francis Belmontes, who took his two children to the protest, said his seven-year-old daughter told him that some of the migrants were dying outside his school and asking for money.
He pointed out that not all migrants were mothers looking for a better life for their children and that he had seen tattooed young men who he said belonged to a gang. He said he worried about the safety of his children.
"It's chaos," he said. "Looks like Trump's America here in Mexico."
Belmontes said he did not really know what the migrants were waiting for when they arrived at the US-Mexico border.
"They chose the wrong time to get asylum," Belmontes said. "(Trump) clearly does not want them to be there."
[ad_2]Source link
