Tear gas fired as dozens try illegal crossing to US

TIJUANA ( Mexico): US Border Patrol agents used tear gas and pepper spray to counter rock-throwing migrants when a group of about 150 tried to illegally cross the border from Mexico, leading to 25 arrests, the agency said.

It is the second time since November that border officers have used tear gas during an attempted mass migrant crossing in the San Diego area.

The migrants in the latest case on New Year’s Eve were among 1,500 who have remained in Tijuana, Mexico, just south of San Diego, California, after a once5,000-strong caravan of travellers – which raised the ire of President Donald Trump – largely gave up and dispersed.

An AFP journalist reported the crowd size at about 100 and observed the group of Central Americans gathering around 8pm local time on Monday in an area called Playas de Tijuana on the Pacific coast, often used by migrants as a departure point for attempts to sneak across the border.

There, the border is marked with fencing and a large vertical plate that juts out into the water. On the other side of it, US border agents were seen mobilising.

As night fell and people on both sides of the frontier prepared to celebrate New Year’s Eve, the migrants tried to cross over but at least two smoke bombs were fired and they were ultimately held back.

In a statement, US Customs and Border Protection said an initial group of 45 migrants turned back towards Mexico, due to the increased presence of Border Patrol agents. — AFP