President Trump on Friday walked back an earlier comment that troops deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border would treat rock-throwing
by members of the migrant caravan as
shooting.
When asked by reporters outside the White House Friday afternoon if he was advocating the military use firearms to respond to
people throwing rocks
, Trump said, “No, no, no, no, no.”
“But if our soldiers or Border Patrol or ICE are gonna be hit in the face with rocks, we’re gonna arrest those people. That doesn’t mean shoot them. But we’re going to arrest those people quickly and for a long period of time,” said Trump.
Trump on Thursday warned members of the two caravans that the military deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border will treat throwing a rock the same as
shooting a gun
.
“Anybody throwing stones, rocks — like they did to Mexico and the Mexican military, Mexican police, where they badly hurt police and soldiers of Mexico — we will consider that a firearm because there’s not much difference,” Trump told reporters during a press conference at the White House Thursday evening.
“Because there’s not much difference when you get hit in the face with a rock,” Trump said.
The Pentagon, which is deploying 5,200 troops to the southern border to help federal law enforcement in support
roles, told the Washington Examiner it would not comment on “hypothetical situations.”
The Mexican and Guatemalan governments have separately confirmed violent incidents as both caravan groups have tried to physically push their way into Mexico as police guard the border.
“That was very violent a few days ago. Very, very violent. That break-in, it was a break-in to a country, they broke into Mexico,” Trump said Thursday.
The first of the two caravans from Central America arrived at the Guatemala-Mexico International Bridge in mid-October. The group filled the entire bridge and attempted to push through to Mexico. Police unleashed tear gas and smoke canisters, injuring an unspecified number of migrants.
State Secretary Mike Pompeo said four police officers were injured as a result of the stand-off.
The second group reached the Guatemala-Mexico border Sunday and was more violent than the first, as Trump noted during his remarks.
Guatemala’s Interior Ministry said their police officers were pushed back by the caravan despite having set up road barriers to keep people from attempting to get past them.
Mexican officials said some in the group hit police with rocks, glass bottles, guns, and firebombs.
On Sunday, migrants threw rocks and stones at police. One teenage boy from the caravan died during the group’s attempt to illegally enter Mexico.
Mexico’s Interior Ministry had originally warned it would only allow those granted visas to cross into the country. Those in the caravan would have had to have applied for visas at the Mexican consulates in Honduras.
