About 4,000 illegal aliens, most from Honduras, tried to cross a bridge linking Mexico and Guatemala yesterday when the police tried to stop them. Pushing forward, the illegals attacked the police, injuring several, and were stopped when the cops used tear gas to beat them back.
Chanting and cheering migrants pushed through or climbed over a steel gate until police threw tear gas and smoke canisters and pushed the migrants back. Video showed coughing and weeping migrants collapsed on the bridge. Several police and an undetermined number of migrants were injured.
As night fell, thousands of migrants remained packed together and exposed to the elements on the Suchiate River bridge connecting Tecun Uman, Guatemala, and Tapachula, Mexico, according to CNN crews on the ground.
As the migrants formed into lines, Mexican authorities allowed a trickle of them, starting with women and children, to pass through gates and board buses for refugee camps.
It was unclear how many migrants would cross the border and how long that process would take. Mexican authorities have said they’d allow migrants to enter the country if they have valid visas or meet other requirements.
The illegals made no secret of their intent.
One of the migrants, a Honduran man who was first to overcome the police barriers and cross into Mexico, was heard shouting euphorically that no one could stop the caravan’s momentum.
“We are going to the United States!” he said. “Nobody is going to stop us!”
The crowd was also heard chanting “Yes we can!” and “We’re going to get in!” as they stormed the border.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in Mexico to talk with regional leaders about the caravan, stated the obvious:
“This is an organized effort to come through and violate the sovereignty of Mexico,” Pompeo said. “We’re prepared to do all that we can to support the decisions that Mexico makes about how they’re going to address this very serious and important issue to their country.”
But the Mexican president was coy about how Mexico would view thousands of illegals traipsing through his country:
“Mexico won’t allow anyone entering its territory in an erratic way and much less a violent way,” he said Friday night in a video statement released on Twitter.
Peña Nieto said Mexican officials would continue welcoming those traveling with the migrant caravan despite Friday’s incident.
“Mexico maintains its willingness to support migrants who decide to enter our country while respecting our laws,” he said.
He supports them as long as they don’t stay. As long as they’re only visiting, Nieto will probably wash his hands of the caravan.
As the riot showed, stopping these people from entering the U.S. is going to be a problem. They are perfectly willing to use women and children as human shields to violate U.S. sovereignty. As Pompeo said, this is an organized effort to breach the U.S. border. Is it a coincidence that it’s happening so close to the US midterm elections?
Don’t bet on it.
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