Another wave of migrants approaching to the United States made their way through a Mexican checkpoint this weekend. A group of roughly 350 migrants, believed to be mostly from Central American countries, busted locks and overwhelmed Mexican law enforcement, according to an Associated Press report.
The National Immigration Institute said the migrants acted "hostile" and "aggressive," bullying their way through the checkpoint and also showing that same aggression when "attacking local police" in the village of Metapa de Dominguez, a southern Mexican village that sits on the border with Guatemala. The village is near Tapachula, the first big map dot on the way to the United States.
The group is trying to catch up with a larger group of about 2,000 migrants ahead of them, according to the AP. The international bridge in Metapa, in the Mexican state of Chiapas, is the same crossing used by previous caravans.
Immigration offices in Tapachula have been flooded with people awaiting documents that would let them move through Mexico in order to seek asylum in the United States.
The AP stated that hundreds of migrants from Central America, Africa and Cuba have stalled the entrance process in Tapachula, and that many others just west of the town, in Mapastepec, are also awaiting travel papers.
It's uncertain whether the migrants are moving toward U.S.-authorized channels to seek asylum or if they plan to cross into the U.S. in areas where there are no border barriers or verification checks.
On Friday, President Donald Trump said he would send all undocumented immigrants to so-called sanctuary cities, which are locales in the country that have laws and regulations in place that shield immigrants from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials detaining or incarcerating them.
Trump said he would send the immigrants to the sanctuary cities by bus, and was met with Democrat leaders objecting the move.
The president said the move was partly to clear detention centers along the border for immigrants who have stayed past 20 days.
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