(Bloomberg) -- Mexico's National Guard used pepper spray to fend off about 1,500 immigrants as they tried to enter the country through its southern border with Guatemala, Reforma reported.
Those who were able to cross were detained, the newspaper said. Earlier this week, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Mexico was monitoring a caravan of migrants and that his government would offer some of them jobs at the southern border.
Last year, Mexico faced tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump if it didn't crack down on Central American immigrants making their way through Mexico to the U.S. border. In response, it sent tens of thousands of national guard troops to both borders, and crossings into the U.S. decreased dramatically.
Immigration authorities allowed some members of the caravan to enter Mexico under the condition they go through their offices, warning them they'd be subjected to local laws.
To contact the reporter on this story: Andrea Navarro in Mexico City at anavarro30@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Case at bcase4@bloomberg.net, Linus Chua, Matthew G. Miller
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
