Migrant caravan rushes Mexican border, clashes with police

Members of a Honduran migrant caravan clashed with police on Friday after breaking through a border fence on Guatemala’s border with Mexico.

The Associated Press reports that about 50 migrants managed to push past riot police assembled on the Mexican side before tear gas and other devices were deployed and the crowd was pushed back.

{mosads}“We need you to stop the aggression,” police ordered over loudspeakers as the clashes continued, according to the AP.

Mexican police have stopped the large caravan at Mexico’s border with Guatemala under increased pressure from the Trump administration to prevent the thousands-strong caravan from reaching the U.S. border.

Many of the migrants in the caravan reportedly plan to seek asylum in the U.S., while others wish to do the same in Mexico.

“I want to get to the States to contribute to that country,” one migrant in the caravan told the AP, “to do any kind of work, picking up garbage.”

Mexico’s federal police chief told the news service that his forces plan to let only those in with passports and valid visas immediately, while those seeking refugee status in one of the two countries could come in in orderly groups of 10-30 people.

“It will be under the conditions that have been said since the start,” Manelich Castilla said. “Orderly, with established procedures, never through violence or force as a group of people attempted.”

President Trump has pressured Mexico in recent days to halt the caravan’s progress as his administration hopes to cut down on illegal immigration and asylum claims.

The president has pointed to the caravan as evidence of the risks of “open border” immigration policies, which he has accused Democrats of supporting.

“I am watching the Democrat Party led (because they want Open Borders and existing weak laws) assault on our country by Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, whose leaders are doing little to stop this large flow of people, INCLUDING MANY CRIMINALS, from entering Mexico to U.S.,” Trump tweeted on Thursday.