Sandy Huffaker AFP/Getty Images <caption> U.S. military personnel and Border Patrol agents gather at the U.S.-Mexico border on Sunday at the San Ysidro border crossing point south of San Diego. </caption>
TIJUANA, Mexico — U.S. authorities closed off the busiest port of entry along the U.S. border with Mexico on Sunday and fired tear gas at members of a Central American migrant caravan who had rushed the fencing that separates the countries.
Although the number of people in the caravan was relatively small, the unrest, with migrants attempting to climb fences and run through car lanes to reach the United States, and scenes of mothers and children choking on tear gas, represented a serious escalation of the caravan crisis.
What had begun Sunday morning as a migrant protest of the slow pace of the U.S. asylum claims process devolved into a chaotic scramble where hundreds made their way to the border hoping to cross onto U.S. soil. To block that from happening, and as some threw rocks and bottles, U.S. authorities took the rare step of firing tear gas into Mexico as well as closing all legal vehicle and foot traffic to the San Ysidro border crossing that U.S. officials say normally has about 100,000 visitors per day.
Central American migrants ran through the car lanes approaching the U.S. port of entry in Tijuana, Mexico, after pushing past Mexican police on Nov. 25.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said in a statement that the port of entry was closed “to ensure public safety in response to large numbers of migrants seeking to enter the U.S. illegally.”
Some of the migrants tried to breach the border fencing and “sought to harm CBP personnel by throwing projectiles at them,” the statement said.
Mexico’s Interior Ministry added that almost 500 migrants had tried to cross the border in a “violent manner.” Mexican authorities said they would deport anyone who tried to cross illegally.
President Trump has repeatedly threatened to close border crossings to prevent the migrant caravan from entering the United States. Although members of the caravan have been in Tijuana for several days, this is the first time that a significant group has massed at the border fence.
The San Ysidro crossing is a large complex with multiple lanes of vehicle and pedestrian access points. In recent days, Mexican authorities and others have worried about the economic effect of the United States closing down such an important crossing for trade and travelers.
Pedro Pardo
AFP/Getty Images
Central American migrants — mostly from Honduras — are stopped by federal police officers near the El Chaparral port of entry at the U.S.-Mexico border in Tijuana on Sunday.
Duncan Wood, the director of the Mexico Institute at the Wilson Center in Washington said in a statement that “the closing of the border is a drastic response to a serious incident but it is vital that calm heads prevail.”
“Closing a border crossing like [San Ysidro] more than temporarily involves losses of many millions of dollars and severe disruption of commerce and life at the border,” he added.
After starting in Honduras and traveling across Mexico, the first members of the caravan began arriving in Tijuana about two weeks ago. In recent days, the group has grown to more than 8,200, with about 7,400 members the border cities of Tijuana and Mexicali, according to Mexican authorities. Tijuana’s mayor declared the situation a humanitarian crisis.
The bulk of the group has been camped out at a sports complex across a highway from the border fence. While the protest was happening by a small portion of the caravan, thousands stayed behind in the sports complex. U.S. border officials have said they have a limited capacity to process asylum seekers, up to 100 per day. Asylum seekers waiting at the border said only 40 per day were being let in on Saturday and Sunday. On Friday, 80 were allowed in.
For the past few days, the migrants planned Sunday’s protest to express their frustration about the wait and the conditions where they’re living, including painting signs asking Trump to let them in.
“Desperation has led some people to really believe that crossing is possible,” said Alex Almendares, 22, a member of the caravan from Colón, Honduras. “The U.S. has given us no response, and the situation at the shelter keeps getting worse.”
On Sunday morning, the protest march headed toward one of the pedestrian crossings. Mexican police in riot gear blocked their way, and a scuffle broke out between police and a couple dozen protesters. After being rebuffed, the situation grew more chaotic, with some migrants running across a dry canal and others trying to cross in different places.
U.S. authorities fired tear gas that wafted into Mexico and caused migrants to run from the fumes. No serious injuries were immediately reported.
As federal law enforcement officers, Border Patrol agents have broad latitude to use force if they think they are under attack or at risk of injury. An agent in Arizona who fired his service weapon through the border fence in response to rock throwers, killing a 16-year-old boy, was acquitted Wednesday on charges of involuntary manslaughter.
Maria Lousia Caceres, 42, and her son followed people who were running toward the fence.
“We thought it was a peaceful march today, but then I saw everyone running and I thought, ‘This is it, God will touch Trump’s heart,’ ” she said.
Caceres, a tortilla vendor from San Pedro Sula, Honduras, said she had fled her hometown and joined the caravan after gang members killed two of her brothers and burned down her house. She said she wants asylum in the United States, but really just “wants life to get better now.”
Standing by the fence, when she realized there was no way to cross the border, she said she did not know what would happen next. “Now we wait,” she added.
Elizabeth Chirinos, 37, said she had followed others who were running toward the border because she felt desperate.
“The U.S. isn’t letting us through and I can’t live in those conditions in the shelter,” she said. “I want to go to the U.S. and not stay in Mexico, because there are more opportunities.”
Standing back from the group by the fence, Almendares said that migrants protesting at the border will not help their cause.
“It just gets people mad at us, and I want asylum,” he said.
Pedro Pardo
AFP/Getty Images
A group of Central American migrants climb the border fence between Mexico and the United States, near El Chaparral border crossing, in Tijuana on Sunday.
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Partlow reported from Mexico City. Nick Miroff in Washington contributed to this report.
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