Migrants block U.S.-Mexico borders

The migrants camped out on the border bridge overnight, leading officials to close it for more than nine hours.

CIUDAD VICTORIA, Mexico (AFP) — Hundreds of Central American migrants blocked a border crossing Thursday between the Mexican city of Matamoros and Brownsville, Texas, demanding the United States let them in to apply for asylum.

The migrants camped out on the border bridge overnight, leading officials to close it for more than nine hours, said US and Mexican authorities.

They finally agreed to leave the bridge under a deal brokered by local officials, said Matamoros Mayor Mario Alberto Lopez Hernandez.

US Customs and Border Protection said cross-border traffic “was temporarily halted at about 1:30 a.m. after a group of 250 to 300 migrants without entry documents… gathered at the midpoint of the Gateway Bridge.”

The United States has dramatically restricted access for migrants seeking to request asylum, most of whom President Donald Trump’s administration says are “economic refugees,” rather than people actually fleeing for their lives.

Trump has pushed Mexico to crack down on the surging number of Central Americans crossing its territory toward the United States.