Washington _ Agencies
US president Donald Trump warned on Thursday that US troops deployed on the Mexican border could fire at Central American immigrants who could throw stones while trying to enter the United States illegally.
"A group of thousands of immigrants crossing Mexico into the U.S. border threw stones at the Mexican police with" brutality and violence, "Trump told reporters at the White House.
"We will not accept that," he said. If they want to throw stones at us, our staff will respond. " "I told them (the soldiers) to consider that (stone) as a rifle. If the "immigrants" threw stones as they did with the Mexican police and army, I would say that it was a rifle. "
Trump was speaking during a presentation of his controversial policy on combating uncontrolled clandestine immigration, he said.
In response to a question by AFP, Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Jimmy Davis said the army is not discussing hypothetical conditions on the use of force, "but our forces are comprised of trained professionals who have the basic right to self-defense."
"I also want to emphasize that our forces support the Ministry of Internal Security as well as the Customs and Border Protection Department, which are carrying out enforcement activities," he added.
Days before the November 6th elections, Trump is intensifying his statements, which are likely to rally voters, especially those related to the issue of immigration. November
Trump said Thursday that the United States would stop its policy of allowing people to apply for political asylum at the border unless they had gone through an official border post.
Those arrested at the border will be placed in tents and other facilities until they are deported or their requests approved, he said.
Trump critics argue that this radical reconsideration of the issue of political asylum could violate the laws currently in force. But Trump rejected it.
"This is completely legal," he said. We´re stopping people on the border. It is an invasion and no one questions that. " "We will issue an executive order sometime next week," the president added, without adding any details.
Despite Trump´s repeated warning of chaos that could result from immigration, the government revealed in figures released Wednesday that only 400,000 people were arrested at the border in 2018, compared to 1.6 million in 2000.
Trump said he was not hostile to immigration but wanted the migration to be fully controlled.
"Uncontrolled mass exodus is not fair, especially for many wonderful immigrants under the law who live here, apply the law and wait for their role," he said.
"Some of them have been waiting for years, some for a long time," he said. They did everything as they should and they would smoke. "
