Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez states that claiming refugee status is not a crime, as officials use tear gas at the border



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The newly-elected Congressman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is taken to the US immigration authorities for their decision to fire tear gas on Central American migrants Sunday after hundreds people rushed to the border.

"Asking to be considered a refugee and claiming refugee status is not a crime," wrote Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter, sharing the image of a Central American family with children at the bottom age fleeing tear gas at the border.

"It was not for Jewish families fleeing from Germany.This was not for targeted families fleeing Rwanda.This was not for the communities fleeing Syria torn apart by the And it is not for those fleeing violence in Central America, "said the congressman. elected wrote asylum seekers with the migrant caravan.

GettyImages-1065219510 Central American migrants run along the Tijuana River near the El Chaparral border post in Tijuana, Baja California State, Mexico, near the US-Mexico border, after US agents from the United States Border police fired tear gas to disperse on Sunday, November 25, 2018. GUILLERMO ARIAS / AFP / Getty

Border patrol agents fired tear gas at Central American migrants Sunday afternoon after 500 people threw a blockade on the police on the Mexican side of the US-Mexico border, near the US port. 39 San Ysidro entry to San Diego, California, for the purpose of crossing the border. the border.

Video footage and photos of the incident show that US authorities have deployed tear gas at the crowd, including families with young children.

US customs and border protection officials said some of the group's migrants threw projectiles across the border, hitting several agents.

"The border patrol agents have deployed tear gas to dispel the group because of the security risks of the agents," the agency said on Twitter.

Shortly after the incident, the Department of the Interior of Mexico issued a statement stating that it was planning to expel all those arrested who were trying to break into the United States "violently "and" illegally "out of the country.

Tijuana Mayor Juan Manuel Gastelum's office also published a statement on his Facebook page claiming that at least 39 members of the migrant caravan had been arrested for provoking riots, disturbing the public and assaulting citizens. "among others".

The clash comes after weeks of tension at the border. Thousands of Central American migrants began arriving in the border town of Tijuana, Mexico, earlier this month. Many are considering applying for asylum in the United States.

GettyImages-1058488644 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez addresses her supporters during her election night on November 6, 2018 in Queens Borough, New York. Ocasio-Cortez seemed to be taking the decision of the US immigration authorities to use tear gas against Central American migrants who rushed in a hurry. American-Mexican border on Sunday, November 25, 2018. DON EMMERT / AFP / Getty

Gastelum described last week as "humanitarian crisis" the situation in the border town and implored the international community, including groups such as the United Nations, to intervene.

At a press conference held on Thursday, the mayor of Tijuana accused the Mexican federal government of not doing enough to support the border town in its efforts to meet the needs of the thousands of migrants who came forward.

Read more: The mayor of Tijuana calls the world to intervene in the "crisis" of the caravan of migrants

He said their presence in Tijuana cost the border city more than 550,000 pesos, or $ 26,970 a day, and that it would not "compromise the city's public services" to help them.

The residents of Tijuana also expressed their frustration at the presence of the caravan. Some protesters protested that migrants "come out" of the border town, while human rights defenders called for patience and understanding of the suffering of asylum seekers, many fleeing violence and violence. economic and political instability. .

In the meantime, Americans supporting the caravan members in their application for asylum in the United States gathered Sunday, displaying placards with messages of solidarity, including: "Refugees are welcome" and "Let them all come in".

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