The busiest border crossing in the world, located near San Diego, California, reopened Sunday night after being closed entirely at one point during the day.
Hundreds of migrants protesting near the border were met with tear gas, fired by U.S. border agents, after some migrants attempted to get through the fencing and wire separating the two countries.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said agents fired tear gas after some migrants threw "projectiles" as they rushed the border in Tijuana, Mexico.
Authorities closed the San Ysidro Port of Entry on Sunday during the tense confrontation between Central American migrants and Mexican and U.S. authorities.
The caravan of undocumented migrants remained in Mexico, but vowed to keep trying to gain asylum in the U.S.
Hundreds of migrants, mostly from Honduras, marched during the day and demanded the U.S. government speed up the process of their asylum cases.
The groups were stopped from marching to a border crossing by Mexican police and a tense standoff, which got physical at times, ensued.
"If you try to talk to them and ask them a fair explanation why they detain us here they don’t talk, they remain quiet," said one migrant about Mexican police.
An Associated Press reporter saw U.S. agents shoot several rounds of tear gas after some migrants tried to penetrate several points along the border.
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Mexico's Milenio TV showed images of migrants climbing over fences and peeling back metal sheeting to enter the U.S. before the tear gas was fired.
Mexican authorities will reportedly deport about 500 people who tried to breach the border wall.
While the mood in Tijuana was tense, a few dozen people gathered in Dallas to show their solidarity.
"I'm afraid that this situation is escalating," said Mariela Nunez-Janes of Movimiento Cosecha Denton. "We're fearing for a lot of danger for the people, for the families that are trying to apply for asylum."
Nunez-Janes disputed the notion that the undocumented migrants are trying to force their way into the U.S. illegally.
"The Mexican government and the U.S. has created these barricades because they're trying to create the impression that these are invaders," she said.
Approximately 5,000 Central American migrants have camped out in Tijuana in recent days.
Agents at the San Ysidro entry point are reportedly processing fewer than 100 asylum petitions a day.
Living conditions have been described as dire.
Mexican authorities are pleading for the United Nations to help.
The Washington Post reported there is a potential new deal between the U.S. and Mexico that would keep the migrants in Mexico while the U.S. considers their asylum cases.
The process could take years.
However, Mexico’s government denied any such agreement on Sunday.
