Father, baby detained after climbing Tijuana border fence

A family with their young baby climbed over a border fence in Tijuana on Thursday (December 13), as many grow restless in shelters south of the border to get their asylum claims to US authorities.

But these migrants do not get far after they jump the fence. There are a series of fences along the international line patrolled by US border patrol officials, with these migrants detained by officers.

Reuters video showed a US border patrol officer tackling a migrant to the ground with other officers detaining the rest of his family.

This young family spoke to Reuters before jumping the fence, saying their decision to cross was an option between life and death.

Mexican officials have said as many as 1,000 individuals from the caravan of Central American migrants have hopped or otherwise skirted fences to reach the US since they arrived to the border city of Tijuana.

US President Donald Trump has sought to make it harder to get asylum, claiming criminals are amongst the migrant group. But a federal court last month placed a temporary restraining order on his policy that only permitted asylum claims made at official ports of entry.

Under former President Barack Obama a system dubbed "metering" began, which limits how many can ask for asylum each day in Tijuana. Lawyers say Trump is using the system more aggressively to stem the flow at the port of entry.