When hundreds of illegal migrants attempted to storm past the U.S. border on Sunday, border patrol agents engaged the mob — and when the crowd began hurling rocks and debris, authorities deployed tear gas.
The mainstream media immediately using the incident to attack President Donald Trump, accusing him of using inhumane tactics on women and children. Democratic lawmakers blasted the president as well, calling the border patrol’s actions “shameful” and “disgusting.”
So where were these complaints in 2013, when former President Barack Obama’s border patrol did the same exact thing?
“In 2013, during the Obama administration, Border Patrol agents reportedly used pepper spray to fend off a group of approximately 100 migrants who attempted to rush the same San Ysidro port of entry,” Fox News reported. “A San Diego Union-Tribune article at the time said agents fired ‘pepper balls’ and used other ‘intermediate use-of-force devices’ to repel the crowd. The migrants in that confrontation also reportedly threw rocks and bottles at U.S. authorities.”
The biased media criticism of Trump echos liberal’s attempt to shame the White House’s family separation border policy earlier this year… but accidentally sharing a 2014 photo of a child being abused under the Obama administration.
The Trump administration has refused to apologize for authorizing the defense of the U.S. border. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said that illegal migrants “attempted to breach legacy fence infrastructure along the border and sought to harm [U.S. Customs and Border Protection] personnel by throwing projectiles at them.”
Under pressure from the president, Mexico has also begun to reinforce security near the border. On Monday, police lined up outside a shelter in the city of Tijuana and told the illegal Central American migrants they couldn’t walk toward the border area.
Mexico’s National Migration Institute said that 98 migrants were being deported after they tried to breach the U.S. border. Mexico’s Interior Department said about 500 migrants were involved in the attempt to rush the border, while U.S. authorities put the number at 1,000.
Mexican officials said the migrants had taken part in “violent” chaos, which would not be tolerated.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan said on a call with reporters that 69 migrants who forced their way over the border illegally were arrested on the California side.
He said the Border Patrol’s use of force policy allows agents to use tear gas and other non-lethal methods, but the incident would be reviewed and the situation was resolved without serious injury.
“As the events unfolded, quick, decisive and effective action prevented an extremely dangerous situation,” he said.
Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission said it “reiterates that members of the caravans that cross our country should respect Mexican laws and not engage in actions that affect the communities they pass through.”
“It is important to note that the fact the Mexican government protects their rights,” the commission said, “does not imply a free pass to break the law.”
In response, American authorities have shut down the nation’s busiest border crossing at San Ysidro for several hours at the end of the Thanksgiving weekend.
More than 5,000 migrants have been camped in and around a sports complex in Tijuana after making their way through Mexico in recent weeks via carava
Francisco Vega, the governor of Baja California, said almost 9,000 migrants were in the state — mainly in Tijuana, with a lesser number in Mexicali — and called it “an issue of national security.” Vega issued a public appeal to the federal government to take over responsibility for sheltering the migrants and deport those who were breaking the law.
Tijuana Mayor Juan Manuel Gastelum on Friday declared a humanitarian crisis in his border city of 1.6 million, which he says is struggling to accommodate the crush of migrants that are demanding food and services.
Trump took to Twitter to express his anger over the illegal caravans and to make another pitch for his promised border wall. The president has considered shutting down the entire border if the situation isn’t resolved.
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 Associated Press contributed to this article