Washington, Rabi'I 18, 1440, November 26, 2018, SPA -- U.S. authorities fired tear gas at members of the Central American migrant caravan who rushed the border fence and closed a major port of entry in the San Diego area on Sunday afternoon, sealing off vehicle and foot traffic at the busiest crossing along the U.S.-Mexico border. The escalating tension at the border came after hundreds of members of the caravan marched through the streets of Tijuana toward the San Ysidro border crossing, where many say they want to apply for asylum in the United States. As the group neared the crossing, Mexican police in riot gear blocked their path and used other barricades to close off access to a pedestrian footbridge. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) helicopters flew overhead. At one point, dozens of people approached the border fence, some threw rocks and bottles, and U.S. authorities used tear gas to repel them, a tactic rarely used by border officials. --SPA 03:26 LOCAL TIME 00:26 GMT 0041 www.spa.gov.sa/w793848