Mexico Says It Will Deport 500 Migrants Who Tried To Storm US Border (AP)
By Brian Freeman | Sunday, 25 November 2018 08:41 PM
Mexico’s Interior Ministry announced it will deport some 500 migrants who attempted to storm the US border, the BBC reported on Sunday.
The migrants were captured after trying to cross the border "violently" and "illegally" near the city of Tijuana, the ministry said, adding that all those who attempted to cross the border would be deported immediately.
The ministry said the migrants had not helped their own cause and instead violated the legal migration framework, which could have led to a more serious incident.
US border officers shot tear gas at those attempting to cross the border. Both the U.S. and Mexico closed the port of entry on their respective sides of the border due to the incident, according to the Washington Examiner.
Tensions have been high in Tijuana since thousands of migrants arrived earlier this month, saying they are fleeing persecution and violence in Central America. President Donald Trump has vowed to keep each migrant on the Mexican side of the border until courts have decided their asylum applications, which could take months.
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen also announced on Sunday that the U.S. will “seek to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law anyone who destroys federal property, endangers our frontline operators, or violates our nation’s sovereignty," the Washington Examiner reported.