Caravan of migrants: the Mexican border town Tijuana protests its arrival


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Legend of the mediaAnti-migrant protesters clash with pro-immigrant demonstrator in Mexican city of Tijuana

Hundreds of residents took to the streets of a Mexican border town to protest the arrival of thousands of migrants attempting to travel to the United States.

They urged migrants to leave Tijuana, southern California.

The migrants are part of a large caravan from Central America who traveled to the United States via Mexico, where they want to seek asylum.

In response to their arrival, the United States and Mexico strengthened security at the border crossing.

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The mayor of Tijuana, Juan Manuel Gastelum, said Friday that he was expecting the number of migrants arriving in the city in the coming weeks to reach 10,000, warning that the city was not ready to face the "avalanche".

The shelters in the city are already struggling to cope and the authorities have sought the help of the government.

Mr Gastelum's words were seized Sunday by US President Donald Trump.

"The Mayor of Tijuana, Mexico, has just declared that "The city is poorly prepared to handle as many migrants, the backlog could last six months," he tweeted..

"Similarly, the United States is ill-prepared for this invasion and will not tolerate it.They are at the origin of crimes and big problems in Mexico.Go home!"

Anti-migrant sentiment could also be observed in the streets of Tijuana.

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Reuters

"They are invaders! They are armed! Get out of the country," the protesters shouted, according to the Reuters news agency.

Esther Monroy, 58, told the AFP news agency that she feared that the number of migrants gathered in the city would result in the closure of the border crossing by the United States,

"Most of us depend on the businesses of those who come and go across the border," she said.

"If they close it, it will be [the migrants’] fault. "

"If the government can not control all this, organized crime and drug cartels will be," added Villa. "It does not matter who does it, but they have to take responsibility for these people."

However, not everyone was protesting against the migrants. A smaller protest also took place to support newcomers, who claim to flee persecution, poverty and violence in their home countries of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.

And there was even an understanding of the migrants themselves.

"They have the right to demonstrate because they do not like us being there, but despite everything, they [Mexicans] are good people, "Karina Rosales, a Honduran migrant, told Reuters.

"They are the same as us, but we are just passing in. We will not stay here."

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