Hundreds of asylum seekers gathered at the San Ysidro Port of Entry Friday looking for entry into the U.S. after a rumor spread saying they could be processed, causing major delays for travelers waiting to enter San Diego.
Hundreds of migrants flocked to the U.S.-Mexico border around noon after a rumor spread in El Chaparral saying they could be processed.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) authorities temporarily closed inbound traffic to the U.S. to prevent migrants from entering by force.
"A lot of them [migrants] showed up at the border seeking asylum. One of them got taken away by police and most of them just walked back," said Belinda Bolaños who was waiting to cross into the U.S.
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The border remained closed for about an hour and a half. U.S. traffic into Mexico was not affected.
Meanwhile, travelers and exasperated merchants clashed with migrants who complained of having no places to stay in Mexico.
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Bolaños said she crosses the border every day and had to be at work when the border closed.
"I cross daily. Today, we have been here for six hours. And everyone is just cutting and it's unfair," the retail worker told Telemundo 20. " I was supposed to be at my job at 11 a.m., I am still going to show up because I do not like calling out, but I have to work, I need to get across."
Around 2 p.m. the crossing resumed at both pedestrian and traffic lanes.
No other information was available.
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