US border security forces closed San Ysidro post
between San Diego and Tijuana cities and clashed with immigrants who attempted
to illegally enter the United States on Sunday,
US officials used tear gas to contain the
immigrants in Tijuana, Mexico. The clashes began around 17h (Brasília time).
The border is busiest in the Western Hemisphere.
Traffic was suspended in both directions at the San Ysidro station.
Mexican police also tried to control immigrants
- many rushed to the US border. Helicopters from the US and Mexican governments
also flew over the site.
The Mexican government said nearly 500
immigrants attempted to cross the US border "violently" and promised
to deport Central American migrants attempting to enter the United States
illegally.
On Monday, US authorities had already closed the same
San Ysidro crossing with information indicating that some immigrants were
planning to forcibly enter the United States.
In recent days, the tension in the currency
between the two countries has increased. In a caravan, thousands of Central
American immigrants try to reach the United States through Mexico to escape
poverty and violence.
In response, US President Donald Trump suspended
for 90 days the entry of immigrants by Mexico and signed an order that prevents
the granting of refuge to anyone who enters the country illegally.
According to data from the US Department of
Homeland Security (DHS), about 7,000 migrants wait across the border, mainly in
the cities of Tijuana and Mexicali, to file the asylum application.
