U.S. security personnel fired tear gas into Mexico after midnight as some migrants prepared to climb a border fence, according to reports.
During a second attempt, migrants began to pass youths and children over the razor wire along the fencing to the U.S. side.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Katie Waldman called the group “a violent mob” and said they had thrown projectiles at agents who responded with “the minimum force necessary to defend themselves.”
Over 150 Central American migrants approached an area of the border in Tijuana in the Playas neighborhood near the beach late on Monday.
Migrants said they thought security measures might be relaxed due to the New Year’s holiday.
“Congress needs to fully fund the border wall,” Waldman said in a statement