POLITICS 11/26/2018 05:35 am ET Updated 1 hour ago

Nielsen Defends Homeland Security’s Use Of Tear Gas, Slams Migrants’ ‘Lawlessness’

Customs and Border Patrol agents fired tear gas at a group of migrants approaching the border on Sunday, including children.

By Nick Visser

Kirstjen Nielsen, the Homeland Security secretary, appeared to defend her agency’s use of tear gas on members of a migrant caravan approaching America’s southern border on Sunday, saying she would not “tolerate” any kind of “lawlessness” from those hoping to apply for political asylum.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection closed off the border crossing that leads into San Diego on Sunday as a march of migrants, many traveling from Central America, approached the area. Hundreds of members of the caravan attempted to circumvent a blockade by Mexican police and run toward the border, but they were met with CBP agents who then fired tear gas across the border.

Several media accounts said parents were forced to flee as their children screamed and coughed due to the chemical agent.

Nielsen on Sunday moved to defend her agents and cast blame on those seeking to cross the border without permission.

“They attempted to breach legacy fence infrastructure along the border & sought to harm CBP personnel by throwing projectiles @ them,” Nielsen wrote on Twitter late Sunday. ”@DHSgov will not tolerate this type of lawlessness & will not hesitate to shut down POEs for security reasons.”

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