The U.S.-Mexico border was plunged into chaos over the weekend after hundreds of migrants rushed the fence near Tijuana, some hurling projectiles at agents as they ran.
The U.S.-Mexico border was plunged into chaos over the weekend after hundreds of migrants rushed the fence near Tijuana, some hurling projectiles at agents as they ran.
Officials used tear gas to repel the migrants, who are largely from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala and who had apparently grown frustrated with how long the asylum process is taking. Officials have been processing less than 100 applications per day, according to The Associated Press.
Wind carried the gas beyond the migrants who charged the fence and took it toward people waiting some distance away, APTN reported. Among those affected were pregnant women and children, according to Honduran migrant Myrna Lissete Amaya, who said some of the younger kids fainted.
"There were some press members who helped throwing water to the children and there was a child who was hardly breathing and a person from the press grabbed him and took him away," she said in Spanish.
The San Ysidro Port of Entry, located between Tijuana and San Diego, had to be closed for hours Sunday after the incident.
Thousands of migrants seeking asylum have piled up at the border in recent weeks, looking to enter the U.S. to escape violence in their home countries.
President Trump said he would not hesitate to close the border altogether if he feels the U.S. might be losing "control." He has insisted that each person seeking asylum wait on Mexico's side of the border until their application is processed and their case decided.
Those hoping to enter the U.S. have been living in shelters along the border while they wait.
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