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President Trump threatened to permanently close the U.S. border with Mexico on Monday, saying he’ll take the drastic action if members of a swelling migrant caravan are not deported back to their Central American homelands.

U.S. Border Patrol fired tear gas canisters and rubber bullets at a group of migrants on Sunday, including families with young children, as hundreds tried to storm the border.

The agency said the action came after some fired ‘projectiles’ that hit border officers.

The chaos produced dangers that prompted U.S. officials to close the crossing between Tijuana and San Diego, stopping everyone in their tracks – including thousands travelling legally between the U.S. and Mexico.

The border was reopened Monday morning, but Trump tweeted a stern warning to Mexico: Deport the migrants, a horde that includes ‘stone cold criminals,’ or see the economically critical crossing sealed permanently.

He called for Congress to fund his border wall with Mexico at a time when congressional Democrats are counting down the final weeks before they take over the House of Representatives.

‘Mexico should move the flag waving Migrants, many of whom are stone cold criminals, back to their countries. Do it by plane, do it by bus, do it anyway you want, but they are NOT coming into the U.S.A.,’ Trump tweeted. ‘We will close the Border permanently if need be. Congress, fund the WALL!’

The president’s ultimatum played on TV screens worldwide Monday morning, alongside images of children screaming and coughing in Sunday’s mayhem at the San Ysidro Port of Entry as Border Patrol officers tried to push the surging mass of people back.

The Mexican federal police have shut down the border into Mexico – hundreds of riot police are lined up and no incoming cars are being allowed to enter from the US into Mexico pic.twitter.com/cNY0MZktAZ

— Annie Rose Ramos (@Annie_Rose23) November 25, 2018

San Ysidro is the largest border crossing between San Diego and Tijuana. On Sunday afternoon, US Customs and Border Patrol announced that it was shutting down the crossing, after hundreds of people from the Caravan of Migrants tried to rush the border to get through to the US. Mexican and US officials responded with coordinated force to hold back the crowds of people trying to cross into the US to claim asylum.

After the border was shut down, reporters on the scene said that Mexican federal police were working together with US Customs officials to create a barricade on both sides of the crossing point. You can see Mexican riot police lined up at the border, here:

The Mexican federal police have shut down the border into Mexico – hundreds of riot police are lined up and no incoming cars are being allowed to enter from the US into Mexico pic.twitter.com/cNY0MZktAZ

— Annie Rose Ramos (@Annie_Rose23) November 25, 2018