A Tijuana official gave an update on the recent increase in the local crime rate during an interview with Tucker Carlson on Thursday night.
Genaro Lopez was on Carlson’s show about two weeks ago and shared that there were 6,200 migrants staying in Tijuana at that time.
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“There have been like 280 arrests. Before it was only for drug possession and being drunk in the streets. Now it’s for breaking and entering into the homes. People have made citizens arrests,” Lopez stated.
“So you’ve had home break-ins. Are you certain it was migrant caravan members who broke into those homes?” Carlson asked. (RELATED: U.S. Border Agents Arrest MS-13 Gang Member ‘Intending On Filing For Asylum In The United States’)
Lopez responded, “Yeah. There’s a video on Facebook and in the video he says his name and says he’s from Honduras.”
“How are the police handling them?” Carlson followed up.
Lopez added:
“Also we had — the police are on 24 hour alert on this end. They’re worried about this. We don’t want the crime rates to go up here in Mexico. We’re tourist town. We live on tourism and Christmas season is one of our best times for tourism here and for sales. Things are not very good right now.
Also, we don’t want the migrants to make the U.S. nervous. They have two marches this Sunday from the other, the new shelter. They made a march to the U.S. Consulate. They delivered two letters. One was directed directly to President Donald Trump. They were demanding that he didn’t give them — they didn’t get political asylum from the U.S., he should pay them to $50,000 to go honorably back home.”
Carlson said, “So they’re demanding money or they won’t leave. That sounds like an extortion attempt.”
TIJUANA, MEXICO – NOVEMBER 18: Anti-immigrant protesters take part in a demonstration on November 18, 2018 in Tijuana, Mexico. (John Moore/Getty Images)
The issue of the caravan and border security reached a new peak on Tuesday when President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and House Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi held a televised meeting in the Oval Office. (RELATED: Trump Brawls Face-To-Face With Pelosi, Schumer Over Wall Funding)
“Sounds like a ransom, yeah. You want them to go back, you have to give them $50,000 to each one of them. Like 700 have been,” Lopez continued. ‘Tijuana is a great town. It opens its arms to anyone that wants to come here in peace. And to live here, no problem. If you come here in a violent mood, if you come here against our sovereignty, you’re not welcome here. We dont’ want this problem, we have our own problems.”