After Central American migrants approached the U.S.-Mexico border on Sunday to call attention to awful shelter conditions and request asylum, U.S. Border Patrol agents reportedly fired tear gas into Mexico, forcing parents with toddlers to flee.
"Children were screaming and coughing in the mayhem," the Associated Press reported. "On the U.S. side of the fence, shoppers streamed in and out of an outlet mall."
US Border Patrol has just launched tear gas into Mexico. Breeze carrying it hundreds of yards. Parents running away with choking toddlers. #migrantcaravan
— Chris Sherman (@chrisshermanAP) November 25, 2018
Ana Zuniga, 23, from Honduras cradled 3-year old daughter with red burning eyes. “We ran but when you run the smoke smothers you more.” Said US agents began launching gas when migrants opened small hole in concertina wire at bottom of Tijuana River. She didn’t see anyone get thru
— Chris Sherman (@chrisshermanAP) November 25, 2018
Strong breeze carried US-launched teargas deeper into Mexico. Migrants ran for hundreds of yards before escaping the cloud. #migrantcaravan
— Chris Sherman (@chrisshermanAP) November 25, 2018
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Earlier on Sunday, U.S. authorities closed off both directions of the San Ysidro port of entry, which is one of the largest border crossings between the U.S. and Mexico.
"Imagine having tear gas launched at you after escaping gang violence/poverty while carrying your child," Juan Escalante, a columnist at the Huffington Post, wrote on Twitter.
Important context for those who haven't been following:
-a group of caravan members held a march to the port today, protesting the conditions in shelters and demanding asylum in US/to speak with a rep of US gov't.
-CBP shut down the port; no one can cross on either side. https://t.co/Wqk2glLKRi— Dara Lind (@DLind) November 25, 2018
Families are frightened and soldiers are shooting tear gas at toddlers. We must choose to be better than this, and @realDonaldTrump expected nothing less when he deployed thousands of troops to the border with the order to shoot to kill. https://t.co/45py8jmR5Q
— Amnesty International (@amnestyusa) November 25, 2018
The demonstrations by Central American asylum seekers came amid reports that the Trump administration is looking to cut a deal with the newly-elected Mexican government to keep migrants out of the U.S. until their asylum claims are fully processed.
While U.S. President Donald Trump took to Twitter late Saturday to claim that asylum seekers will now be forced to stay in Mexico until their cases are processed, incoming Mexican government officials said publicly that no such agreement has been reached.
