Senior politicians from Germany, Austria, Poland and Estonia on Tuesday raised the possibility of new EU sanctions against Russia to punish it for capturing three Ukrainian vessels at sea, an incident the West fears could ignite wider conflict.

Financial markets have responded to the prospect of new Western sanctions that could hurt Russia’s economy, though the ruble on Tuesday clawed back some losses from the previous day as investors bet any sanctions would not be swift.

READ MORE:
Russia seized Ukrainian ships and sailors, then blamed ‘banditry’. Here’s what you need to know

After Russia opened fire on and seized three Ukrainian naval vessels on Sunday near Russian-annexed Crimea, both Russia and Ukraine are trying to cast the other side as being in the wrong.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told German Chancellor Angela Merkel by phone on Monday that Moscow was ready to provide more details to bolster Russia’s version of events. Moscow says Ukraine deliberately provoked Russia to trigger a crisis.

WATCH: Court detains all Ukrainian sailors captured by Russia in Black Sea for two months

Ukraine, which on Monday night introduced martial law for 30 days in parts of the country it deems most vulnerable to an attack from Russia, said its ships did nothing wrong and that it wanted the West to impose new sanctions on Moscow.

Some of the more than 20 Ukrainian sailors held by Russia for straying into Russian waters appeared on Russian state TV on Tuesday admitting to being part of a pre-planned provocation. Kiev denounced what it described as forced confessions.

The Ukrainian sailors are expected to appear in a Russian court later on Tuesday. Their vessels were captured by Russian forces at sea near the Kerch Strait, which is the only outlet to the Sea of Azov and controls access to major Ukrainian ports.

A Reuters reporter at the Crimean port of Kerch, where the vessels are being held, saw masked, armed men on board one of the ships taking boxes of ammunition off.

WATCH: Freeland condemns Russian seizure of Ukrainian ships

Germany, potentially the leading voice in any call for Western action, called upon both sides to de-escalate the new tension, while signalling a tougher line toward Russia.

Norbert Roettgen, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union and a leading Merkel ally, said Europe may need to toughen sanctions against Moscow.

READ MORE:
Tension heightens as Russia releases ‘confessions’ of detained Ukraine sailors

Karin Kneissl, foreign minister of Austria, said the EU would consider sanctions depending “on the exposition of facts and the further conduct of both parties.”

Polish President Andrzej Duda said his country was ready to back new sanctions. Estonian Defence Minister Juri Luik called sanctions “probably the most potent way to signal to the Russian leadership that we are serious.”

Merkel, an important voice in any future EU decision to impose more sanctions, on Monday spoke by phone to both Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Putin. She said the situation needed to be de-escalated.

WATCH: U.S. calls on Europe to enforce tougher sanctions against Russia over Ukraine incident

With relations still raw after Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and its backing for a pro-Moscow insurgency in eastern Ukraine, many Western countries fear the Black Sea incident could escalate into a more serious conflict.

Putin told Merkel he was seriously concerned about Kiev’s decision to put its armed forces on combat alert and impose martial law, telling Merkel he hoped Berlin would use its influence to stop Ukraine taking “further reckless steps.”

WATCH: Trump ‘not happy’ with Ukraine situation after Russia launched attack on navy ships

‘Confessions”

In Kerch, two Russian police officers with automatic rifles stood on the pier where the Ukrainian vessels were moored. The vessels bore traces of collisions and big holes in their hulls.

A doctor at the local hospital said three Ukrainian servicemen were being treated there. An unidentified man prevented Reuters from entering or talking to them.

Commercial shipping traffic was passing through the strait under a new bridge built by Russia that spans it.

WATCH: Russia deploys new S-400 missile system in Crimea

Russia’s FSB security service released video footage on Tuesday of captured Ukrainian sailors saying their actions were deliberately provocative and they had ignored Russian orders to stop. At least one appeared to be reading from a script. Ukrainian politicians said the sailors were coerced, rendering their confessions meaningless.

The FSB said it had information showing the sailors’ mission had been pre-planned by the Ukrainian government and that two intelligence officers from Ukraine’s SBU security service had been on board to co-ordinate the provocation.

WATCH: Russia blocks Ukrainian navy from entering Sea of Azov (Nov. 25) 

Vasyl Hrytsak, the head of the SBU, confirmed that his officers were on board to support the military and said one of them had been seriously wounded after Russian aircraft fired missiles at the Ukrainian vessels.

U.S. President Donald Trump spent Monday defending the use of tear gas on migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, calling it “very safe,” but denied the substance was used on children.

READ MORE:
Trump defends tear gas on migrants as photos of children crying, fleeing prompt outrage

However, images of the scene near the border crossing separating Tijuana from San Diego, Calif., over the weekend showed a cloud of tear gas that sent people running and screaming, including families with young children in diapers.

One woman, Cindy Milla, told the Wall Street Journal that her child fainted when the tear gas was thrown.

“I felt that my face was burning, and my baby fainted,” she said. “I ran for my life and that of my children.”

WATCH: Tear-gassed mother recounts U.S. border chaos

Reuters reporter Kim Kyung-Hoon said she was there and snapped a picture of a Honduran mother grabbing the arms of her five-year-old twin daughters as they frantically ran from a tear gas canister spewing fumes.

“I thought I was going to die with them because of the gas,” Maria Meza told Reuters, adding that she was shocked the U.S. border agents fired the canisters near women and children.

The U.S. government said customs officers had fired off the canisters after a group of migrants had attempted to cross the border violently, throwing projectiles at them. Thirty-nine migrants were arrested.

Meza said three canisters landed around her and her five kids.

“It wasn’t right. They know we are human beings, the same as them. It wasn’t right that they did that to the children,” she said.

WATCH: Trump says migrants in Mexico ‘will not enter’ the U.S., speaks about why tear gas was used

On Monday, Trump was asked by reporters if it was okay to use tear gas on children.

“We didn’t. We don’t use it on children,” he said.

READ MORE:
U.S. fires tear gas at migrants, closes border at Tijuana for several hours

But later that day, Trump seemed to acknowledge children were affected, asking: “Why is a parent running up into an area where they know the tear gas is forming, and it’s going to be formed and they were running up with a child?”

He said it was “a very minor form of the tear gas itself” that he assured was “very safe.”

WATCH: ‘Everything he was concerned about with the caravan is coming true’: Lindsey Graham talks border wall 

According to a Vox report, tear gas is considered a “chemical weapon” under international law — but it isn’t illegal for domestic law enforcement. This case is complex, however, because tear gas canisters were thrown across the border.

Trump also claimed some of the women are not really parents but instead “grabbers” who steal children so they have a better chance of being granted asylum in the U.S. However, he did not provide any evidence to support the claim.

The incident over the weekend marked an escalation of tensions between the U.S. and a group of Central American migrants who have been walking for more than a month in hopes of gaining entry to the country to escape violence and poverty.

WATCH: Migrants run from tear gas launched near U.S. border fence

The images of children fleeing tear gas prompted sharp criticism from some lawmakers and charities. British aid group Oxfam said the use of tear gas was shameful.

“Images of barefoot children choking on tear gas thrown by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol should shock us to our core,” Vicki Gass, Oxfam America senior policy adviser for Central America, said in a statement.

On Tuesday, White House adviser Kellyanne Conway said migrant mothers who were tear-gassed at the U.S. border should enter the country peacefully and legally.

WATCH: Conway tells tear-gassed mothers, come legally

She also blamed photographers who take pictures of migrant women for not “helping.”

“I have great compassion for any mother who wants a better life for her children,” Conway told reporters. “And that’s why I believe if people taking pictures of these women really care about them, they won’t go for optics, they will go for opportunity. Who is helping them to realize how they can immigrate here legally?”

—With files from Reuters and Global News’ Maham Abedi

Ottawa police arson investigators have charged a 28-year-old Ottawa man with arson endangering life in connection with a fire that ravaged a Wendy’s fast food restaurant in the city’s west end early Tuesday morning.

The two-alarm fire at the Lincoln Fields Shopping Centre sent two people to hospital with minor smoke inhalation, according to Ottawa paramedics. Two others were assessed for smoke inhalation at the scene and released.

READ MORE:
17-year-old charged with arson, theft in Winnipeg

First responders were called to the stand-alone Wendy’s at 2545 Carling Ave. shortly after 12:15 a.m. and firefighters continued to put out “hot spots” throughout the morning, Ottawa Fire Services spokesperson Danielle Cardinal said.

Several callers told dispatchers there was “heavy black smoke” coming out of the back of the restaurant, Cardinal said.

Cardinal said the blaze escalated rapidly, prompting firefighters to ask for additional resources within 15 minutes.

“It was too dangerous for our firefighters to operate inside,” she said. “All firefighting occurred from outside the building.”

Firefighters reported the blaze as under control by 3:18 a.m. The building has sustained heavy structural damage, she said, including a partially collapsed roof.​

READ MORE:
15 children sent to hospital after experiencing respiratory issues on on school bus

All the Wendy’s employees got out of the restaurant before firefighters arrived, and no other buildings or vehicles were affected by the flames, Cardinal confirmed.

The police service’s arson unit on Tuesday afternoon announced it had charged Steven Hanssen with arson endangering life, arson damage to property and two counts of breaching his court release conditions.

He is scheduled to appear in show cause court on Tuesday, according to a news release from the Ottawa Police Service.

READ MORE:
Ottawa police seek missing man after car found abandoned on Airport Parkway

Carling Avenue and the streets surrounding the Lincoln Fields Shopping Centre have reopened, but a portion of the parking lot near the Wendy’s remains blocked off.

​Cardinal urged drivers to avoid that area and not to drive over fire hoses.

The Foundation of the Guelph General Hospital is asking charitable residents to once again consider making a monetary gift to the hospital this holiday season.

The foundation is reminding the public of its seasonal campaign and is urging previous donors to consider giving once again towards new equipment for the hospital.

READ MORE:
Salvation Army sets $160K goal for Christmas kettle campaign in Guelph

“Existing donors and community members who are thinking about making a donation often don’t know how much we rely on their support,” said Suzanne Bone, CEO of the foundation.

The campaign includes a series of letters to those who have made donations in the past that will ask them to consider making another donation this holiday season as the foundation hopes to reach its goal of $175,000.

READ MORE:
Guelph Storm’s John McCrae jersey auction raises over $7,500

Bone goes on to say that lots of the equipment hospitals really need isn’t paid for by the provincial government.

The foundation says one of every two dollars spent on equipment at Guelph General Hospital comes from donors.

This year’s seasonal campaign will help the hospital address some much-needed priorities such as vital signs monitors for every bedside, a central cardiac monitoring system, ceiling lifts and specialized patient beds.

READ MORE:
Stray puppy found in Guelph on road to recovery after leg surgery

Donations are accepted year round, however, those who donate prior to Dec. 31 are eligible for a tax receipt that will be accepted for the 2018 tax season. Bone goes on to add that the holiday season has always been good to the foundation despite the competition from the many other charities working this time of year.

“There’s definitely a lot going on this time of year,” Bone said. “We’ve been blessed by a very strong support of our community and our past seasonal appeals.”

If you’ve never donated before and wish to donate this year, you can do so online at  上海龙凤419gghfoundation上海夜生活, over the phone by calling 519-837-6422 or by writing a cheque payable to The Foundation of GGH mailed to 115 Delhi Street, Guelph, Ont., N1G 4J4.

We have launched our Seasonal Fundraising Campaign this week. Please help us raise $175,000 to make this Holiday Season especially meaningful at Guelph General Hospital: https://t.co/YMq29BQpdY

— Foundation of GGH (@FdnofGGH) November 14, 2018

A court has awarded a Quebec woman who was violently attacked by her longtime partner $315,000 in damages in a decision her lawyer hopes will provide victims of domestic violence another avenue to obtain justice.

The woman, whose identity is not revealed in the court documents, testified that the attack took place while she was confined for three days in September 2012.

Winnipeg taxpayers will be forced to pay for the city’s new costs to legalize and enforce Cannabis laws if the province doesn’t pony up on the cannabis excise tax, says Mayor Brian Bowman.

Premier Pallister has indicated MB will keep all federal excise tax revenues from cannabis sales. This means that unless MB provides municipalities w/ revenues from new Provincial cannabis tax Wpg property taxpayers will have to pay for City’s new costs from cannabis legalization

— Mayor Brian Bowman (@Mayor_Bowman) November 27, 2018

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister said he is not going to share the excise tax on cannabis with municipalities and he has signaled that fiscal restraint with municipal transfers will continue.

Pallister spoke to delegates at the annual convention of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities Monday.

He said his priority is addressing the provincial deficit, and the government has to curb spending to avoid the debt growing even more rapidly.

READ MORE:
Where tax dollars from cannabis are going in Manitoba

Pallister gave no indication that his government will end a freeze on municipal funding that has been in place for two years.

He also said there is no evidence that cannabis revenues will be greater than provincial costs for extra policing and other related issues.

Association president Chris Goertzen says municipalities are dealing with extra costs of their own and deserve more money from the province.

They held a press conference Tuesday morning to demand the province restore road and bridge funding which was drastically cut last year.

– With files from

A white Swedish Instagram model is being accused of pretending to be black on social media in an attempt to gain followers.

Emma Hallberg, 19, is facing backlash after an image of her with noticeably lighter skin and straight hair recently started circulating online. Hallberg, who has 245,000 followers on Instagram, is known for posting photos of herself with darker-toned skin and curly hair, which has led many people to believe she was black or mixed-race.

White girls if you want to pass as Black, how about using your platforms to address the injustices and discrimation actual Black people face. Don’t just appropriate, Appreciate the people you are imitating #emmahallberg pic.twitter上海龙凤419/gpmkvB0BZj

— Niccole Nero Gaines (@2CsNiccole) November 19, 2018

One social media user on 上海夜生活 said Hallberg was “painting herself black for mercantile purposes” and that presenting herself in this way was a form of cultural appropriation.

Others have accused her of “blackfishing,” a term used to describe non-black people adopting black features through heavy makeup, tans, textured or artificial hair and photo filters.

In response to the backlash, Hallberg told BuzzFeed she gets “a deep tan” naturally from the sun and never pretended to be anything but white. The teen also denied ever intentionally misleading people about her race and said she is “sad” that some of her “natural features are hurting and upsetting people.”

View this post on Instagram

First day off school and I’m actually already bored 🙄😂

A post shared by EMMA HALLBERG (@eemmahallberg) on Jun 14, 2017 at 1:17pm PDT

But Hallberg is among a slew of non-black women on social media who seemingly present themselves as black — a behaviour experts say is incredibly problematic.

According to Dr. Aria Halliday, an assistant professor of Africana feminisms at the University of New Hampshire, “blackfishing” is an extension of blackface.

Halliday pointed out that using race as costume is not a new practice, but the way in which women are using social media, makeup and beauty culture to alter their appearance is.

“The ability to costume oneself with makeup is something that people are really fascinated by,” she told Global News. “Being able to costume oneself via makeup as a completely different culture or ethnicity just [helps people] perform [blackface] even more.”

View this post on Instagram

You only fail when you quit 👊🏽 Hair from @yyonghair ✨

A post shared by EMMA HALLBERG (@eemmahallberg) on Aug 24, 2018 at 11:57am PDT

READ MORE: Certain books continue to cause an uproar in Canadian education — here’s why

On top of being culturally insensitive, profiting off of an aesthetic of blackness is also wrong, she added. This is something that members of the Kardashian/Jenner family have been called out for doing many times through their makeup lines and fashion collections.

“A lot of these Instagram models are getting followers. They’re getting paid to do certain makeup things and they’re definitely using their privilege to create a capitalist endeavour,” Halliday said.

“They don’t have to deal with the everyday existences of what it means to be a black woman, for example, but they are then parading themselves on social media as such.”

View this post on Instagram

BO WEST

A post shared by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Jan 29, 2018 at 12:58pm PST

WATCH BELOW: Polish talent show contestant impersonates Drake in blackface

In order for society to move away from “blackfishing,” it’s important people are educated on the history of using race as a costume and understand there is not one single definition of what it means to be black, Halliday said.

“There’s this idea that blackness is a certain thing, and if you are black, there’s a certain stereotype …  [but] black people look all different ways across the globe,” she said. “If we continue to feed into these generalizations and stereotypes, we continue the idea that people can put on our costume and wear it.”

“But also, in every instance of costuming, people separate it from this history of blackface and the way that it’s derogatory and the damage that has happened. We need to continue to talk about and learn about the history of blackface and where it comes from,” Halliday added.

[email protected]上海夜生活

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A New Brunswick teenager who inspired people around the world to perform random acts of kindness has been honoured posthumously with the Order of New Brunswick, and remembered as someone who encouraged people to dream big.

Becca Schofield  died in February at the age of 18 – two years after being diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.

Her movement on social media, with the hashtag #BeccaToldMeTo, quickly went viral and inspired ongoing acts of compassion and generosity around the world.

READ MORE: Becca Schofield of #BeccaToldMeTo movement passes away after battle with cancer

“Today shows you what a simple act can leave such a big legacy. We are proud and honoured beyond words,” Anne Schofield said Tuesday as she held the Order of New Brunswick medal presented to her and her husband Darren on behalf of their daughter.

Her eyes welled with tears as she spoke of the pride she had in what her daughter had accomplished.

“The group of people that she has been honoured with – you look at their resumes and it’s lifelong commitments that they have done – and there’s this little girl and all she wanted to do was spread a little bit of kindness. She said it’s so simple – just be nice,” Schofield said.

Becca Schofield was one of 11 recipients of the award this year, presented by Lt.-Gov. Jocelyne Roy Vienneau and Premier Blaine Higgs.

“What an inspiration she has left for her community and her family. Her life, although very, very short had an impact that other people take a lifetime to achieve or try to achieve,” Higgs said.

Roy Vienneau said Schofield and all the recipients had made New Brunswick a better place.

“See how this day, this moment can be used to move your own agendas forward to help others, and to help make New Brunswick better. I believe Becca would have wanted that,” she said.

Anne Schofield said she hears from people every day about how Becca affected the lives of others.

A woman who has gone through loss of her own is coming to the aid of the parents of a young girl who died in a tragic Christmas parade accident in Yarmouth, N.S.

The small town of 7,000 people was left devastated when four-year-old MaCali Cormier died Saturday night after she fell under the wheels of a float during the annual Parade of Lights.

READ MORE: Candlelight vigil held in Yarmouth, N.S., to honour memory of child killed during Santa Claus parade

Sarah Robicheau says she understands the intense pain the loss of a child can bring, after experiencing a stillbirth in 2012 and the loss of an infant to SIDS just two years later.

“I know the heartache and what’s to come,” she said.

“When I had my loss, there was not really any resources in Yarmouth for child loss, so I kind of left the hospital empty handed, with nothing, and not really anywhere to go to.”

A candlelight vigil was to be held at Frost Park in Yarmouth Monday night in memory of MaCali, a pre-primary student who was the oldest of three children.

Grief counsellors were to be dispatched to local schools on Tuesday, when students return from a previously scheduled day off.

“Members of our crisis management team will be in schools on Tuesday morning to provide support for our staff and students,” the Tri-County Regional Centre for Education said in a statement.

WATCH: Candlelight vigil held in Yarmouth, N.S., to honour memory of child killed during Santa Claus parade

Robicheau, 29, along with another friend who lost a child to SIDS, started Anchor for Hope, a non-profit organization that provides support for parents who have experienced child and infant loss, as well as stillbirths and miscarriages.

This support comes in the form of “Hope Boxes” – packages given out at hospitals filled with comfort items like bubble bath and chocolates, as well as a list of resources for parents grieving the loss of a child. They also make meals for families in mourning.

The day after Saturday’s tragedy, Robicheau made a social media request asking people to donate food items for meals for MaCali’s grieving family.

READ MORE: N.S. parade organizers emphasize safety after child dies at Yarmouth parade

“When you’re grieving the loss of a child, it’s really hard to remember to feed yourself, along with other children in the home,” she said.

“It’s just kind of a way to say, ‘We’re here, we love you,’ and just to offer support.”

She said the request was met with a lot of response, and Anchor for Hope had enough food to provide the family with supper every night until the end of December.

Since Saturday, condolences have poured in from across the country and the rest of the world.

“Not only is Canada and everybody in Canada grieving over this, but everyone around the world is also grieving about this,” said Devan Boudreau, a close family friend who had known MaCali since her birth.

Boudreau, 29, said MaCali was a friendly, happy girl who always wanted to be part of what was going on.

“She was a very, very great kid. So full of love and life. It’s unbelievable. Even if you were a stranger and you walked by her in the mall, and you looked at her, she’d say hi or give you a hug,” Boudreau said.

H.M. Huskilson’s funeral home in Yarmouth has chosen to absorb the funeral costs, and instead, donations can be made to a trust fund for Cormier’s younger siblings.

Tear gas is a chemical weapon banned in war. On Sunday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents deployed the chemical agent at migrants over an international border.

READ MORE:
Trump says U.S. did not tear gas children at border, despite images showing it

Border patrol officials said they used the tear gas at the San Ysidro port of entry after migrants threw rocks at them.

Authorities also appeared to use a flash bang, which makes a loud noise but does not fire a projectile, at a group of people who were trying to get through a section of the border fence, according to the L.A. Times.

Now, officials in both Mexico and California want answers from the Trump administration and are assessing possible legal actions that could be taken in the matter.

WATCH: Trump explains why tear gas was used at Mexico border

Tear gas considered a method of warfare depending on where it’s used

Tear gas is a chemical weapon and is illegal for international use, including on the battlefield. The 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention, which the U.S. has signed, says that although tear gas has no long-term effects when used properly, the substance is banned in battle since it’s difficult to distinguish from more dangerous agents in the fog of war.

However, tear gas is not illegal to use domestically.

READ MORE:
‘We are human beings’: Migrant mom didn’t expect tear gas to be fired at kids, families

CN, or 2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile, is one of the most common types of chemical agents in tear gas. CN gas was used the First World War and in tunnels during the Vietnam War.

On U.S. soil, tear gas is allowed to be used in domestic law enforcement to control riots. But it’s considered a chemical weapon if used as a method of warfare.

However, U.S. soldiers threw tear gas canisters into Mexico, meaning they were no longer on domestic ground. Is this legal?

WATCH: Migrants from caravan register in Mexico to work instead of risking rejection at U.S. border

“Is this legal? Is this moral? Is this accurate? What is happening here?” tweeted Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, on Nov. 25.

Is this legal? Is this moral? Is this accurate? What is happening here? https://t.co/4BBFsLvUwE

— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) November 25, 2018

According to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, member states are allowed to possess riot control agents and use them for domestic law enforcement purposes.

“Riot control agents are intended to temporarily incapacitate a person by causing irritation to the eyes, mouth, throat, lungs and skin,” the group said on its website.

WATCH: Overcrowding and bad hygiene conditions prompting health concerns at Mexico’s migrant caravan

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said on 上海夜生活 that tear gas was used “because of risk to the agents’ safety.”

Today, several migrants threw projectiles at the agents in San Diego. Border Patrol agents deployed tear gas to dispel the group because of the risk to agents’ safety. Several agents were hit by the projectiles. The situation is evolving and a statement is forthcoming.

— CBP (@CBP) November 25, 2018

On Monday, Trump defended the use of the tear gas, saying it was necessary as a defence tactic.

“They had to use [tear gas] because they were being rushed by some very tough people and they used tear gas and here’s the bottom line: nobody is coming into our country unless they’re coming in legally,” Trump said.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection also said Monday that the use of tear gas will be reviewed.

WATCH: Tear-gassed mother recounts U.S. border chaos

Can it cause damage?

“Tear gas, under the Geneva Convention, is characterized as a chemical warfare agent and so it is precluded for use in warfare, but it is used very frequently against civilians,” Sven-Eric Jordt, a nerve gas expert at Yale University School of Medicine, told National Geographic. “That’s very illogical.”

Jordt said there are many examples of people who have suffered severe injury and burns, especially in enclosed environments or city streets with multi-storey buildings. He said tear gas is also problematic for people with asthma or other conditions, who can have very severe reactions to the substance.

“Tear gases are very serious chemical threats. I think it is very problematic to use them,” he said. “Law enforcement has to weigh the risk of tear gas injury of bystanders against gaining control in a riot situation under the assumption that rioters break the law.”

Criticism

The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, CHIRLA, an immigrant rights organization in California, condemned the use of tear gas against immigrants at the border.

“It is a despicable act on the part of the Trump administration and CBP officials to attack defenseless women and children firing tear gas, a chemical agent, at them,” said Angelica Salas, executive director for the organization, in a statement.

“These are human beings who are reaching a point of desperation because their asylum claims are being processed at a snail’s pace or not at all.”

British aid group Oxfam said in a statement the use of tear gas was shameful.

WATCH: About 100 migrants have been deported following rush to U.S. border

“Images of barefoot children choking on tear gas thrown by US Customs and Border Patrol should shock us to our core,” Vicki Gass, Oxfam America Senior Policy Advisor for Central America said.

Democrats and other critics called the use of tear gas an overreaction, and questioned the idea of keeping the migrants in Mexico to make asylum claims there.

Mexico’s foreign ministry called on Monday for “a full investigation” into what it described as non-lethal weapons directed toward Mexican territory the day before, a statement said.

WATCH: Trump says migrant caravan uses children as protection when rushing border

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is assessing whether the state can take legal action over the Trump administration’s use of force against the migrants and future threats to shut the border with Mexico, he said in an interview with Reuters on Wednesday.

“We have been approached by folks who have expressed complaints,” Becerra, who is the son of Mexican immigrants, said. “We are monitoring what’s occurring.”

—; With files from Reuters