The Mexican government announced Monday it will deport 98 people who were involved in Sunday’s attack on federal enforcement officers when hundreds of Central American migrants attempted to storm the border near San Diego, Calif.
In a statement published Monday afternoon, the Interior Department said 98 “foreigners” are in the process of being sent back to their countries of origin as a result of their “violent behavior” and attempts to “attack and injure federal immigration agents and police near its El Chaparral border crossing in Tijuana.
Those being deported lost their ability to apply for asylum because they violated Mexico’s migration law by assaulting government officials.
Mexico said on Sunday it had identified 500 people who were involved in demonstrations on the Mexican side of the Tijuana-San Diego border and that it would go through those people to determine who had assaulted federal officials then deport those individuals.
“The Ministry of the Interior informs that, in coordination with local authorities of the State of Baja California, it managed to contain the group of almost 500 migrants who, in a violent way, tried to cross the border of Mexico with the United States, in the border crossing of El Chaparral, Tijuana,” the Mexican government said in a news release. “This unit reiterates that, through the National Institute of Migration (INM) will be deported immediately to the people fully identified who participated in these violent events.”
The Interior Department said Monday it is still looking for additional people involved in Sunday’s storming of the border and will deport those as well, according to its news release.
However, Mexico did not specify if the nearly 100 people being deported had attacked U.S. officials, Mexican officials, or both groups.
Trump on Monday reiterated his call for Mexican authorities to send back home all of the roughly 10,000 migrants who traveled to northern Mexico as part of caravans, not just those who attempted to illegally enter the country Sunday.
“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!” Trump wrote on Twitter.
On Saturday, Mexico’s interior ministry reported 11,000 Central Americans had been returned home at their own request, including 1,906 who were part of the caravans.
