The newly-formed National Guard soldiers were forced Tuesday to contain a riot of African, Asian and Haitian migrants who revolted and tried to flee the building in which they were held in the state of Chiapas.

The migrants intended to protest against sanitary conditions and overcrowding, as well as the poor quality of food provided to them by the National Institute of Migration (NMI).

According to the local police, undocumented migrants also requested that their immigration procedures be speeded up. “Some of them managed to get out of the building, but they were caught,” a source who requested anonymity told AFP.

Members of the National Guard entered the building, which normally houses a local fair, to contain protests and shouts. After an hour, they managed to restore order.

The MNI does not report on the number of migrants in this building and the conditions in which they are housed.

In addition, the National Guard has intensified its control operations on the road between Tapachula and the border with Guatemala.

The National Guard was deployed last week in the southern state of Chiapas to try to contain the flow of migrants from Central America who want to cross Mexico to the United States.

The decision to send the National Guard to Chiapas was made following the agreement between Mexico City and Washington in early June. US President Donald Trump had threatened to impose tariffs on Mexican exports if the country did not control migratory flows.

Mexico was due to finish Tuesday the deployment of 6,000 men of the National Guard on the border with Guatemala.