Caravan at city on Texas border

MEXICO CITY – A caravan of about 1,700 Central American migrants have arrived at the Mexican border city of Piedras Negras, just west of Eagle Pass, Texas.

While previous caravans had preferred the border city of Tijuana, the relatively open section of the border around Eagle Pass is marked mainly by the Rio Grande River and lacks the long sections of high barriers Tijuana has.

Still, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday the “lawless caravan” would not be allowed in.

“Approximately 2,000 aliens have arrived in northern Mexico as part of a ‘caravan’ seeking to cross the border into Texas. Illegal entry will not be tolerated and we stand ready to prevent it,” DHS Secretary Kirstjen M. Nielsen wrote in a statement, adding “DHS will take all steps to ensure the safety and security of law enforcement personnel on the frontlines.”

Images from local media show U.S. agents with riot gear and shields standing on a bridge separating Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras. DHS said Border Patrol agents have already apprehended some migrants who crossed the border illegally overnight.

Coahuila state Gov. Miguel Angel Riquelme said about 1,700 migrants arrived late Sunday aboard 49 buses from the cities of Saltillo and Arteaga. Another smaller group headed toward the neighboring state of Nuevo Leon.