The tear gas is a very minor form of the tear gas itself … It’s very safe.”
United States President Donald Trump threatened to close the border with Mexico “for a long time” if authorities there can’t quell attempts by large groups of migrants to cross into the US.
“Violence” would prompt him to shut the border, Trump told reporters travelling with him in Mississippi. “If they do a charge, with a closed border, it’s very easy to stop.”
Trump also said the tear gas was used after the migrants attacked US border agents. “We will not tolerate any form of assault or attack on our border agents like [what] happened yesterday,” Trump said during a rally in Tupelo, Mississippi. He said US authorities had sent the migrants a message: “Turn around and go back home.”
“The tear gas is a very minor form of the tear gas itself,” Trump told reporters. “It’s very safe. The ones that were suffering to a certain extent were the people that were putting it out there.”
Trump was largely complimentary of Mexico’s government, which he said had attempted to stop the migrants from approaching the US border. “We will close the Border permanently if need be,” Trump had tweeted on Monday.