Footage posted Sunday on Twitter showed hundreds of unlawful migrants pushing past Mexican police and rushing the U.S. port of entry in San Ysidro, Caifornia, in what is sure to be a test for U.S. and Mexican immigration and border enforcement officials.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection have suspended northbound and southbound vehicle traffic and pedestrian crossings at the San Ysidro port of entry.
Tear gas was fired by Customs and Border Protection agents after migrants threw what looked to be rocks at them. Children were screaming and coughing from the tear gas.
RELATED: Breaking: Illegal Migrants Attempt To Breach Southern US Border
Earlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters at The White House that troops stationed at the Southern border would treat the throwing of rocks like “firearms.”
“We’re not going to put up with that,” President Trump said. “They want to throw rocks at our military, our military fights back. I told them to consider it a rifle. When they throw rocks, like they did at the Mexico military and police, I said, consider it a rifle.”
Hundreds try to storm the border. Expect significant US response #tijuana pic.twitter.com/0T50XUnXtY
— Emma Murphy (@emmamurphyitv) November 25, 2018
Within minutes, the group of migrants that rushed the border disappeared. Most members of the group were men.
https://twitter.com/BreakingNLive/status/1066794635685695488
On Saturday, a 31-year-old Honduran man who split from the caravan threw rocks at U.S. Border Patrol agents as well as a helicopter, after setting a tree on fire.
So many v tiny children in this mayhem pic.twitter.com/jQSZJG2TCe
— Emma Murphy (@emmamurphyitv) November 25, 2018
The tentative deal, but now disputed deal, between the U.S. and Mexico has viewed as a way to dissuade Central American migrants from seeking asylum in the United States.
Trump administration officials have implied that the majority of asylum claims are fraudulent.
“There is no agreement of any sort between the incoming Mexican government and the U.S. government,” incoming Mexican Interior Minister Olga Sanchez said in a statement.