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United States military forces have reinforced security measures at the country's southern border, laying barbed wire and erecting barricades as hundreds of Central American migrants planning to seek asylum in the country reached one of Mexico's northern-most cities.
- About 400 migrants reach the border city of Tijuana, but thousands more are expected
- Customs and Border Protection closes lanes at two major border crossings into California
- Transgender asylum seeker says she would rather be detained in the US than sent home
About 400 migrants who broke away from the main caravan in Mexico City arrived in the border city of Tijuana by bus, according to a witness, but human rights organisations said larger groups were expected to arrive in the coming days.
US Secretary Of Defence Jim Mattis said he would travel to the border area on Wednesday (local time), which would be his first visit since the military announced that over 7,000 US troops would go to the area as the caravan of mostly Hondurans made its way through Mexico.
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a statement that it would close lanes at the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa crossings from Tijuana into California to allow the Department of Defence to install barbed wire and position barricades and fencing.
Tijuana is at the westerly end of the border, about 38 kilometres from San Diego, California.
"CBP has been and will continue to prepare for the potential arrival of thousands of people migrating in a caravan heading toward the border of the United States," CBP's field operations director in San Diego, Pete Flores, said in a statement.
He cited a "potential safety and security risk".
President Donald Trump has taken a firm stance against the caravan, which began its journey north on October 13 and briefly clashed with security forces in southern Mexico early on its route.
Mr Trump signed a decree that effectively suspended the granting of asylum for those who cross the border illegally, a move that could drastically slow claims at gates of entry.
But migrants planning to seek asylum in the United States said they were undeterred by the crackdown.
"I prefer to be in detention in the United States than to return to my country, where I know they are going to kill me for being different," transgender woman Nelvin Mejía said after arriving in Tijuana with a group of about 70 people seeking asylum.
"Last month, they killed my partner, and I do not want to end up like that."
For years, thousands of mainly Central American immigrants have embarked on long journeys through Central America and Mexico to reach the United States. Many of them die in the attempt or are kidnapped by organised crime groups.
Several thousand more migrants in at least three caravan groups are making their way through Mexico toward the border.
Topics: immigration, refugees, mexico, united-states
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