(CNN) — US Customs and Border Protection closed road and pedestrian bridges on Sunday at the San Ysidro port of entry, one of the largest land border crossings between San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico.
Groups of Central American migrants have been converging on the Mexican border city for days in their quest to gain entry to the United States. Their presence has drawn Mexican troops, protesters and fiery rhetoricfrom President Donald Trump.
More demonstrations were planned on Sunday as migrants gathered at San Ysidro, the busiest land port of entry in the Western Hemisphere, according to the US General Services Administration.
As crowds amassed, around 500 migrants overwhelmed federal and local Mexican police blockades and rushed toward the US border near Tijuana. The crowds are made up of men, women and a lot of children, said freelance reporter Alfredo Alvarez, who is in the crowd.
By then, bridge and pedestrian border crossings were closed in both directions. The migrants headed for the cargo area where the railroad crosses, Alvarez said.
The migrants appeared to be meters from the US border wall, Alvarez said. He could not see from his position if the migrants had managed to get across the actual border.
The agency said it has deployed extra personnel to the border crossing due to multiple planned demonstrations on both sides of the border.
“The additional personnel, which included CBP officers, US Border Patrol agents, and Air and Marine agents, were recently deployed to the San Diego area from various areas around the country in preparation for the potential arrival of the caravan in Tijuana.”