The San Ysidro Port of Entry began closing lanes and pedestrian crossings Sunday morning as marches broke out on both sides of the border in support of the Central American migrant caravan, with some people trying to breach the crossing between Tijuana, Mexico, and California.
Mexico's Milenio TV showed images of at least a few of the hundreds of migrants at the border tried to jump over the fence separating the two countries.
The migrants carried hand-painted American and Honduran flags and chanted: "We are not criminals! We are international workers!" The group mostly consisted of men, although some women pushed small children ahead in strollers.
Nearly 20 migrant rights and social justice groups make up the San Diego Migrant and Refugee Solidarity Coalition, which hosted the U.S.-side march. The coalition and others started at Larsen Field on Camino de la Plaza. The group said President Trump created a “war-like situation at the border.”
CBP agents could be seen in riot gear, lining the roadway that leads into Mexico. Military helicopters could be seen flying around in the area.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection closed all southbound lanes into Mexico at the San Ysidro Port of Entry at around 11:15 a.m. Northbound vehicle traffic processing at the San Ysidro Port of Entry was also suspended, and CBP closed pedestrian crossings at the east and west facilities shortly after.
Caltrans San Diego announced road closures an hour later. Interstates 805 and 5 and State Route 905 were partially shut down.
The San Ysidro Port of Entry is the busiest land border crossing in the world, with about 110,000 people entering the U.S. every day. That traffic includes some 40,000 vehicles, 34,000 pedestrians and 150 to 200 buses.
This also comes as families started heading home after the Thanksgiving weekend.
Other marches were planned across the nation, including in L.A., Sacramento, and San Francisco.
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 caravan. Many hope to apply for asylum in the U.S., but agents at the San Ysidro entry point are processing fewer than 100 asylum petitions a day.
Some of the migrants who went forward Sunday called on each other to remain peaceful. They appeared to easily pass through the Mexican police blockade without using violence.
A second line of Mexican police carrying plastic riot shields stood guard outside a Mexican customs and immigration plaza, where the migrants were headed. That line of police installed tall steel panels behind them outside the Chaparral crossing on the Mexican side of the border, which completely blocked incoming traffic lanes to Mexico.
Because of the activity in the area, the Blue Line Trolley will not serve the San Ysidro Transit Center, the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System said at 12:30 p.m.
The trains will stop at Beyer Boulevard. MTS suggested Mexico-bound travelers should get off at Iris Avenue and transfer to Routes 905 or 950 to the border in Otay Mesa.
This comes after the Trump administration began working on major changes to immigration law, including having asylum seekers wait outside the U.S. while their applications go through the courts.
The mayor of Tijuana has declared a humanitarian crisis as thousands of migrants live in overcrowded shelters, waiting to enter the U.S.
Click here to view a statement from the coalition.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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