Several hundred participants of movement called “The migrant caravan” tried this Sunday, November 25, to illegally cross the border that separates Mexico from the United States on the border town of El Chaparral, Tijuana.
In response, US Customs and Border Protection agents resorted to the use of tear gas to disperse the group that they claimed attempted to cross violently and that included women and small children.
Mexican authorities reported that the group of 500 individuals were contained by the Mexican Interior Minister and authorities of the state of Baja California (Mexico).
What happened?
The group, who were housed near the border, broke through the security fence at the El Chaparral gate, and began running toward the Tijuana river channel. The United States authorities closed the San Ysidro bridge.
When arriving at the fence, some members of the group began to climb, and that's when the American border patrol dispersed them by firing tear gas.
In videos that are circulating in social media, there appears to be the sound of gunfire, but no official or media source has confirmed the veracity of the shots or those injured by them.
What is the migrant caravan?
The group originated in Honduras on October 12, and on their way to the United States they were joined by several hundred people in El Salvador and Guatemala. It has travelled 2,800 kilometers to the northwest of Mexico.
The caravan comprises 8,247 people from Central America. The largest number of them, 7,417, are in Tijuana.
Participants say they are fleeing poverty, violence and political persecution in their countries of origin and that their goal is to reach the United States in search of asylum.
President Donald Trump urges that migrants should stay in Mexico until the courts decide their fate. It's a process that can last several months.
In its report, Tijuana police announced that 39 participants of the caravan were arrested for causing riots and attacks on citizens. For his part, Alfonso Navarrete, Secretary of the Interior of Mexico, confirmed the Mexican newspaper Milenio. that the fully identified Central Americans who tried to enter the United States illegally will be deported immediately.
With imputs from Milenio, Univision and BBC world.
