California Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom (D) on Monday condemned the use of tear gas on a group of migrants that included women and children after some attempted to breach the U.S.-Mexico border.
Newsom quoted a tweet that included a widely shared photo of a woman and two young children running from tear gas near the border.
“That’s not my America,” Newsom wrote. “We’re a land of refuge. Of hope. Of freedom. And we will not stand for this.”
{mosads}Newsom will take office as governor in January after winning the election to replace Gov. Jerry Brown (D), who is term-limited.
The governor-elect’s outrage came hours after Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents clashed with a group of migrants.
CBP on Sunday shut down the busy San Ysidro port of entry near San Diego, Calif. as the migrants approached. Tensions worsened when dozens of migrants broke away from a larger group to try and breach the border.
CBP said in a statement that officers fired tear gas into the crowd after attempted illegal crossings and after some migrants threw rocks at border agents.
The move drew criticism from Democrats and immigration and human rights advocates.
President Trump on Monday morning called on Mexico to deport migrants attempting to enter the U.S., and threatened to shut down the southern border permanently.
The president has for weeks painted the group as an imminent national security threat. Many of the migrants are fleeing poverty and violence in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.