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US military and Border Patrol officers at the US-Mexico border on Sunday at the San Ysidro border crossing south of San Diego. (Sandy Huffaker / AFP / Getty Images)
Joshua Partlow
Correspondent focused on Mexico, Central America and other regions of Latin America
TIJUANA, Mexico – US authorities have launched tear gas bombs on members of the Caravan of Central American migrants who rushed to fence the border and closed an important port of entry into the San Diego area on Sunday. Afternoon, blocking car and pedestrian traffic at the busiest crossing of the US-Mexico border.
Tension is rising at the border after hundreds of caravan members have marched through the streets of Tijuana towards the San Ysidro border crossing, where many say they want to apply for asylum in the United States.
As the group approached the crossing, the Mexican police in riot gear blocked their way and used other barricades to close access to a pedestrian bridge. US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) helicopters were flying overhead. At one point, dozens of people approached the barrier, some threw stones and bottles, and the US authorities used tear gas to repulse them, a tactic rarely used by border services officers.
A statement from CBP stated that the entry point was closed around 11:30 am and remained until 14:00. local hour.
According to the statement, some people "have tried to enter the United States both directly to the east and west of the border crossing".
Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Kirstjen Nielsen, said in a statement that the port of entry was closed "to ensure public safety against the large numbers of migrants seeking to enter the United States illegally. United".
"After being prevented from entering the port of entry, some of these migrants attempted to violate the existing fence infrastructure along the border and attempted to harm CBP personnel by throwing projectiles, "the statement said.
President Trump has repeatedly threatened to close the borders in order to prevent the caravan of migrants from entering the United States. Although the members of the caravan have been in Tijuana for several days, this is the first time that a large group has been massing at the border fence.
Migrants from Central America – mostly from Honduras – are arrested Sunday by federal police officers near the port of entry of El Chaparral on the American-Mexican border in Tijuana. (Pedro Pardo / AFP / Getty Images)
The San Ysidro border crossing is a large complex with several traffic lanes and access points for pedestrians. US border officials say about 100,000 people pass through it legally every day. In recent days, Mexican authorities have worried about the economic impact of the even temporary closure of the United States, a milestone for trade and travelers alike.
The first members of the migrant caravan started arriving in Tijuana about two weeks ago. In recent days, its size has reached more than 5,000 people, according to Mexican authorities. The mayor of Tijuana said the situation was a humanitarian crisis.
Most of the group camped in a sports complex on the other side of the border on a highway. US border authorities said they have a limited capacity to process asylum seekers, up to 100 people a day. Others stayed in migrant reception centers.
Over the days and with no resolution for the group, migrants became increasingly frustrated.
"The desperation has led some people to really believe that the crossing is possible," said Alex Almendares, a 22-year-old caravan member who lives in Colón, Honduras. "The United States has not given us an answer and the situation at the shelter continues to worsen."
On Sunday around 11:30, hundreds of people from the caravan rushed through a canal leading to a pedestrian border crossing. The Mexican police in riot gear blocked their passage and a fight broke out between the police and about twenty protesters. After being pushed back, the migrants gathered at another point along the railway line next to the border fence. Some young men tried to climb to the fence, and others jumped on trains holding Honduran flags and placards asking Trump to let them in.
Maria Lousia Caceres, 42, and her son followed people running towards the fence.
"We thought it was a peaceful march today, but then I saw everyone running around and thinking:" That's it, God will touch the heart. " of Trump, "she said.
Caceres, a tortilla vendor from San Pedro Sula, Honduras, said she had fled her hometown and joined the migrant caravan after gang members had killed two of her brothers and burned down her house. She said she wanted asylum in the United States, but only wanted "life to improve now".
Standing near the fence, when she realized that there was no way to cross the border, she said that she did not know what was going on. would then pass. "Now we are waiting," she added.
Elizabeth Chirinos, 37, said she had followed other people running to the border because she felt desperate.
"The United States does not let us through and I can not live in these conditions at home," she said. "I want to go to the United States and not stay in Mexico because there are more opportunities."
Siding away from the group near the fence, Almendares said that having protesters at the border would not help their cause.
"It makes people angry with us and I want an asylum," he said.
A group of Central American migrants climbed the fence between Mexico and the United States, near the El Chaparral border post, in Tijuana on Sunday. (Pedro Pardo / AFP / Getty Images)
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Partlow reported in Mexico.
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