No one arrested in U.S., Mexico border clash is prosecuted

No criminal charges will be filed against any of the 42 people associated with a caravan of Central American migrants who were arrested in a clash that ended with U.S. authorities firing tear gas into Mexico, The Associated Press has learned.

The decision not to prosecute comes despite President Donald Trump’s vow that the U.S. will not tolerate lawlessness and extensive preparations for the caravan, which included deployment of thousands of active-duty troops to the border.

Rodney Scott, chief of the Border Patrol’s San Diego sector, has said those arrested for illegal entry included 27 men, with the rest being women and children.

The incident occurred Sunday at the border in Tijuana, where thousands of caravan members have been arriving in recent weeks after fleeing poverty and violence in Central America. Most of them plan to seek asylum in the U.S. but may have to wait months because the U.S. government only processes about 100 of those cases a day.

As frustrations began to mount over the long wait, migrants marched to the border Sunday to appeal for the U.S. to speed things up. It turned unruly when four agents were struck with rocks or projectiles and authorities responded by launching tear gas and pepper spray balls to quell the unrest.

But in the end, none of the 42 people had charges brought against them for illegally entering the country or any other counts.