San Diego Border Patrol chief: Many breached the border, 42 were arrested in US

Forty-two people were arrested by U.S. authorities after they crossed the border near Tijuana, Mexico, following protests in which tear gas was used to push back at migrants seeking to get into the United States.

“Forty-two crossed the border and were arrested,” Rodney Scott, chief patrol agent for San Diego Sector Border Control, told CNN in an interview. 

Scott said the group that crossed the border tore down one section of a border wall. 

“We’re in the process of building the new border wall here but we don’t have it completed,” he said. “There were some sections that had the dilapidated border wall that was made out of scrap metal the military gave us.”

{mosads}”The group breached a couple sections of that, actually tore down one small section, started to rush across. And that’s another time that they started assaulting our agents.”

“So we were able to hold them back using … riot techniques,” he said. “But there were, ultimately 42 arrests. And again, as I mentioned, the vast majority of those were adult males.”

Scott also said tear gas was used to protect agents after migrants threw rocks at them. 

“The group immediately started throwing rocks and debris at our agents, taunting the agents. Once our agents were assaulted and the numbers started growing. You know, we had two or three agents at a time initially facing hundreds of people at a time. They deployed tear gas to protect themselves and to protect the border,” he said.

Mexico says it will deport around 500 immigrants who tried to enter the U.S. “violently” and “illegally.”

After the event Sunday, President Trump called again for a border wall.

“Mexico should move the flag waving Migrants, many of whom are stone cold criminals, back to their countries,” Trump tweeted Monday. “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!”

Mexico should move the flag waving Migrants, many of whom are stone cold criminals, back to their countries. 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!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 26, 2018

The president has threatened to veto any spending bill that does not include funding for a border wall.

“This would be a very good time to do a shutdown,” he told reporters earlier this month. “I don’t think it’s going to be necessary, because I think the Democrats will come to their senses, and if they don’t come to their senses, we will continue to win elections.”

— This report was updated at 10:31 a.m.