Eric Thayer/Reuters
President Trump has threatened to shut down the southern border to the U.S. if his administration decides Mexico has lost “control” as thousands of Central American migrants, including many women and children, head towards the U.S. The president told reporters Thursday that he’s given American troops stationed at the border approval to use lethal force if necessary. “If we find that it’s uncontrollable,” he said, “we will close entry into the country for period of time until we can get it under control. The whole border,” according to the Associated Press. The president’s comments come after a federal judge earlier this week temporarily barred his administration from enforcing a ban on asylum seekers at the border. According to The Washington Post, the Trump administration has another plan in the works to circumvent the blocked ban: forcing Central American asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while their case is assessed unless they can prove they face dangers in Mexico.