US border patrol fire tear gas across Mexico border to stop migrants

US Customs and Border Protection says it is investigating an incident at the California border with Mexico, in which agents used tear gas, pepper spray and smoke as more than 100 migrants tried to enter the country illegally.

Some of the migrants threw rocks as others lifted children over the razor-edged wire late Monday in the San Diego sector, the agency said a statement, which was based on initial reports. The confrontation continued into the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Tijuana has become a flashpoint in the debate over U.S. immigration policy, which has been intensified by the recent deaths of two migrant children in American custody and a partial U.S. government shutdown over U.S. President Donald Trump’s demand for $5 billion in funding for a wall along the border with Mexico.

A previous incident in November when U.S. agents fired gas into Mexico to disperse migrants triggered a call from Mexico’s government for an investigation, as well as international condemnation.

About 150 migrants approached the fence, but about one-third of the group members turned back into Mexico when they saw Border Patrol agents, CBP estimated.

Migrants said they thought security measures might be relaxed due to the New Year’s holiday.

Others tried to enter the United States by going over or under the fence. The agency said teenagers wrapped in jackets, blankets or mats were put over the wire, as were "toddler-sized children."

U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Katie Waldman called the group “a violent mob” and said they had thrown projectiles at agents who responded with “the minimum force necessary to defend themselves.”

“Congress needs to fully fund the border wall,” Waldman said in a statement.

The CBP statement said agents had not directly targeted the migrants attempting to cross the fence with tear gas and pepper spray.

CBP said most of the migrants attempting to cross returned to Mexico while 25 people, including two teenagers, were detained.

Thousands of Central American migrants have been camping at shelters in Tijuana since arriving in November after travelling in caravans across Mexico to reach the US border, where many have hoped to request asylum.