Mayhem as migrants storm US-Mexico border and are tear-gassed by police

Pandemonium has broken out with migrants tear-gassed by US agents as they tried to run past police as the border crossing was closed.

Hundreds of migrants have stormed the US-Mexico border as US agents tear-gassed people trying to breach the fence separating the two countries.

Children were seen screaming and coughing in the mayhem at the crossing between Tijuana and California as the Border Patrol office in San Diego said it had been closed.

Migrants walk up a riverbank at the Mexico-U.S. border after pushing past a line of Mexican police at the Chaparral border crossing in Tijuana, Mexico, Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018, as they try to reach the U.S. Picture: AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa

A group of people try to cross El Chaparral border crossing, in the city of Tijuana, in the state of Baja California, Mexico, 25 November 2018. Picture: EPA/David Guzman

A Central American migrant covers his face near the El Chaparral border crossing in Tijuana, Baja California State, Mexico, after the US Border Patrol threw tear gas to disperse a crowd.

The migrants are desperate to get to the crossing between Tijuana and California.

Migrants climb up a bank of the nearly dry Tijuana River as they make their way around a police blockade. Picture: Mario Tama/Getty Images

A young migrant sits on a man's shoulders as they join a group of migrants trying to push their way past the Chaparral border crossing in Tijuana, Mexico, Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018. Picture: AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa

The Central American migrants pushed past a blockade of Mexican police standing guard near the international border crossing in a bid to pressure the US to hear their asylum claims.

Border Patrol said the pedestrian crossings have been suspended at the San Ysidro port of entry at both the East and West facilities, as US Border Patrol helicopters flew low overhead and agents patrolled on foot beyond the wire fence.

It came as Donald Trump took to Twitter on Sunday to attack the migrant “caravan” and called on Mexico to stop the crossings.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen confirmed some have attempted to enter through San Ysidro.

“After being prevented from entering the port of entry, some of these migrants attempted to breach legacy fence infrastructure along the border and sought to harm CBP personnel by throwing projectiles at them,” Ms Nielsen said in a statement.

“DHS will not tolerate this type of lawlessness and will not hesitate to shut down ports of entry for security and public safety reasons. We will also seek to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law anyone who destroys federal property, endangers our front-line operators, or violates our nation’s sovereignty.”

Mexico’s Milenio TV showed images of migrants trying to scale the fence separating the two countries. Some carried hand-painted American and Honduran flags and chanted: “We are not criminals! We are international workers!”

The group mostly consisted of men, although some women pushed small children ahead in strollers.

Hundreds of migrants have stormed the US border. Picture: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Mexican police run as they try to keep migrants from getting past the Chaparral border crossing. Picture: AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa

View of tear gas that border police use to prevent groups of people from crossing El Chaparral border crossing. Picture: EPA/David Guzman

Migrants push past Mexican police at the Chaparral border crossing in Tijuana, Mexico. Picture: AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa

Migrants were tear-gassed by US agents as the border crossing was closed. Picture: AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa

Women and children stand near Mexican police at the Mexico-U.S. border in Tijuana, Mexico, Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018. Picture: AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd

More than 5000 migrants have been camped in and around a sports complex in Tijuana after making their way through Mexico in recent weeks via caravan. Many hope to apply for asylum in the US, but agents at the San Ysidro entry point are processing fewer than 100 asylum petitions a day.

Mexican police carrying plastic riot shields stood guard outside a Mexican customs and immigration plaza, where the migrants were headed. They installed tall steel panels behind them outside the Chaparral crossing on the Mexican side of the border.

Some of the migrants who went forward Sunday called on each other to remain peaceful.

“Would be very SMART if Mexico would stop the Caravans long before they get to our Southern Border, or if originating countries would not let them form,” Mr Trump tweeted earlier.

He also claimed, without evidence, the caravans were a way “(leaders) get certain people out of their country and dump (them in the) US”.

#BREAKING: U.S. agents fire tear gas at migrants after some try to breach fence separating U.S. and Mexico pic.twitter.com/Lw5PDCqipp

— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) November 25, 2018

#BREAKING Hundreds of migrants try to breach Mexico border fence at #Tijuana crossing, US shuts the border pic.twitter.com/2UF7pDY4iH

— Guy Elster (@guyelster) November 25, 2018

#BREAKING: The U.S. Customs and Border Protection office in San Diego has closed road and pedestrian bridges in both directions at the San Ysidro port of entry. https://t.co/OR1TrTWnrf

— Oscar Flores (@oflores) November 25, 2018

The mayor of Tijuana has declared a humanitarian crisis and says that he has asked the United Nations for aid to deal with the approximately 5000 Central American migrants who have arrived in the border city.

Earlier, Mr Trump claimed migrants at the border would stay in Mexico until their asylum claims were individually approved in US courts — to the surprise of Mexico itself.

Olga Sanchez Cordero, Mexico’s incoming interior minister, said there was “no agreement of any type between the future government of Mexico and the United States”.

Ms Sanchez Cordero ruled out that Mexico would be declared a “safe third country” for asylum claimants, following a Washington Post report of a deal with the Trump administration known as “Remain in Mexico”, which quoted her calling it a “short-term solution”.

Would be very SMART if Mexico would stop the Caravans long before they get to our Southern Border, or if originating countries would not let them form (it is a way they get certain people out of their country and dump in U.S. No longer). Dems created this problem. No crossings!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 25, 2018

Migrants at the Southern Border will not be allowed into the United States until their claims are individually approved in court. We only will allow those who come into our Country legally. Other than that our very strong policy is Catch and Detain. No “Releasing” into the U.S...

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 24, 2018

....All will stay in Mexico. If for any reason it becomes necessary, we will CLOSE our Southern Border. There is no way that the United States will, after decades of abuse, put up with this costly and dangerous situation anymore!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 24, 2018

The plan, according to the newspaper, foresees migrants staying in Mexico while their asylum claims in the US are processed, potentially ending a system Mr Trump decries as “catch and release” that has until now often allowed those seeking refuge to wait on safer US soil.

“Migrants at the Southern Border will not be allowed into the United States until their claims are individually approved in court,” Mr Trump said in a tweet late on Saturday.

“We only will allow those who come into our Country legally. Other than that our very strong policy is Catch and Detain. No ‘Releasing’ into the US.”

“All will stay in Mexico,” Mr Trump added in second tweet, that threatened to close the US southern border if necessary.

— With wires

More to come