All border traffic was halted for several hours at the busy crossing between the US city of San Diego and the Mexican city of Tijuana on Sunday after migrants from Central America attempted to make their way over the border fence, the US Customs and Border Protection (CPB) agency said. Hundreds of migrants, mostly men, made a dash for the border fence and tried to climb over, officials said. Border security officers used tear gas to disperse the migrants. Local authorities said they arrested 39 people involved in the incident. In response, Mexico said it would bolster security at its border. By late Sunday, US authorities reopened the crossing in both directions, the CPB's San Diego branch said in a tweet. Read more: Can Donald Trump use force against the 'migrant caravan'? Border issues More than 5,000 Central American migrants have gathered in Tijuana after traveling through Mexico during the last several weeks, largely on foot in so-called … [Read more...] about Migrant surge forces US to shut California-Mexico border crossing temporarily
United states border crossings
9 Shocking Facts About Our Border with Mexico
1. It is common for the bodies of dead migrants to be found after starvation and exposure to heat on U.S. soil.After illegal immigrants get past the river or fence, they still have to clear a secondary checkpoint by U.S. Border Patrol. Those checkpoints are routinely set up between 60 and 80 miles north of the border. In places like Falfurrias, Texas, human smugglers force illegal immigrants to walk dozens of miles through harsh desert-like terrain in order to get around the checkpoints. That harsh trek in addition to the extreme weather in Texas and Arizona often leads to fatal consequences where human smugglers often leave behind those who are not able to keep up with the pace. Unfortunately, the remoteness of those areas often leaves families searching for answers since many of the heavily decomposed bodies found in those areas remain unidentified. 2. The entire border is broken down into regions or “turf” controlled by Mexican narco-cartels. Mexican cartels fight … [Read more...] about 9 Shocking Facts About Our Border with Mexico
Caravan migrants at US-Mexico border begin hunger strike
A group of Central American migrants who are camped out at the US-Mexico border began a hunger strike on Thursday. They said they want to pressure the US to allow them to apply for asylum, but are also protesting Mexican authorities who are blocking the caravan's way north. The group of protesters is part of the more than 6,000 migrants, mostly from Honduras, who have travelled by caravan towards the United States in the hope of applying for asylum and fleeing violence and poverty in their home countries. They are now stuck at the border city of Tijuana, Mexico. Many of those taking part in the hunger strike are women. "Since no one is listening to us, we've decided as a women's movement... to launch a hunger strike," said Claudia Miranda, from Honduras, at an improvised press conference in Tijuana. The women attempted to set up a picket in front of the border immigration offices, but were blocked by police. "We're in really bad shape," Cindy Pinera … [Read more...] about Caravan migrants at US-Mexico border begin hunger strike
Venezuela: Maduro closes border with Brazil as self-imposed blockade tightens
Acting President Nicolas Maduro ordered the closure of Venezuela's border with Brazil on Thursday, saying earlier in the day that the border would remain "completely and absolutely" shut "until further notice.". Maduro said he was also considering closing the western border with Colombia. The move came amid a standoff between Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaido over allowing international aid into the country. Read more: 'Time running out for Nicolas Maduro,' Venezuela's Juan Guaido tells DW Venezuela's self-blockade Aid collection points have been set up in the Brazilian border state of Roraima, the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao and at a border crossing near Cucuta on the Colombian border. Before Maduro announced the border closure, preparations for aid deliveries from Brazil had been half-hearted. It wasn't until Tuesday that the government spokesman Otavio Rego Barros announced Brazil would give the Venezuelan opposition "logistical help" to enable it to … [Read more...] about Venezuela: Maduro closes border with Brazil as self-imposed blockade tightens
Doctors Without Borders Exits Kunduz as Airstrike Death Toll Reaches 22
The day after a United States-led airstrike hit a Doctors Without Borders clinic in Kunduz, Afghanistan, the organization said the death toll had reached 22 people. That figure includes 12 staff members and 10 patients, three of whom were children. The aid organization has now evacuated Kunduz, where fighting has intensified since the Taliban seized the city a week ago. On Twitter, the organization, also known as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), provided new details about the airstrike, which hit its facility early on Saturday. It said its main building endured the brunt of the bombing, while the rest of the compound was largely unhit. MSF also called for an independent international inquiry into the airstrike, and said what happened was "a war crime." That call is likely in response to a statement U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter made on Saturday, saying that officials would investigate the incident. President Barack Obama also released a statement Sunday, saying, "The … [Read more...] about Doctors Without Borders Exits Kunduz as Airstrike Death Toll Reaches 22
War in Iraq: Iran Allies Battle ISIS to Secure Border With Syria and Unite Forces
Iran-backed militias in Iraq have advanced against the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) on the nation's border with Syria, where the units hope to link up with a parallel anti-ISIS offensive run by the Syrian army and its allies.Armed groups under the umbrella of the majority-Shiite Muslim Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), also called Al-Hashd Al-Shaabi, have strategically pushed westward, battling the remains of ISIS' self-proclaimed Sunni caliphate along the Syrian border. The militias are part of an alliance that includes the Iraqi military, Kurdish forces and a U.S.-led coalition currently battling ISIS in its final Iraqi stronghold of Mosul. As partner forces engage the remnants of ISIS' control in Mosul, the PMF have successfully cut ISIS off outside the city and on Monday retook a number of villages on the Syrian border, Reuters reported.Related: The Final Push for Mosul: 'Matter of Time' until ISIS flag falls in Iraq's second city"This will be the first step to the … [Read more...] about War in Iraq: Iran Allies Battle ISIS to Secure Border With Syria and Unite Forces