Mexico to up border security after migrants try to cross

Mexico looked set to shore up security near its border with the US on Monday, as police lined up outside a shelter in the city of Tijuana and told Central American migrants they couldn't walk toward the border area.

Mexico's National Migration Institute said that 98 migrants were being deported after they tried to breach the US border, and US agents fired tear gas into Mexico to stop them. Mexico's Interior Department said about 500 migrants were involved in the attempt to rush the border, while US authorities put the number at 1,000.

Mexican officials said the migrants had taken part in "violent" chaos, which originally began as a peaceful march to appeal for the US to speed processing of asylum claims for Central American migrants marooned in Tijuana.

US Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan said on a call with reporters that 69 migrants who tried to cross the border illegally were arrested on the California side.

He said the Border Patrol's use of force policy allows agents to use tear gas and other non-lethal methods, but the incident would be reviewed and the situation was resolved without serious injury.

"As the events unfolded, quick, decisive and effective action prevented an extremely dangerous situation," he said.

But on Monday, the incident had left many migrants sullen, wondering whether the unrest had spoiled whatever possibilities they might have had for making asylum cases.

Isauro Mejia, 46, of Cortes, Honduras, looked for a cup of coffee early Monday morning after spending the day prior caught up in the clash.

"The way things went yesterday ... I think there is no chance," Mejia said.

In rare criticism of the migrants, Mexico's National Human Rights Commission said it "reiterates that members of the caravans that cross our country should respect Mexican laws and not engage in actions that affect the communities they pass through."
"It is important to note that the fact the Mexican government protects their rights," the commission said, "does not imply a free pass to break the law."
Francisco Vega, the governor of Baja California, said almost 9,000 migrants were in the state mainly in Tijuana, with a lesser number in Mexicali and called it "an issue of national security."
"Do it by plane, do it by bus, do it anyway you want, but they are NOT coming into the U.S.A. We will close the Border permanently if need be. Congress, fund the WALL!"