By COLLEEN LONG
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) - The head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection is defending the use of tear gas during a chaotic clash at the border with a group of migrants that included children.

Kevin McAleenan testified Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee. He said agitators threw rocks at U.S. Border Patrol agents as hundreds of migrants tried to cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally on Nov. 25. He says officers were justified in using less-than-lethal force to control the chaos.

McAleenan answered questions on the separation of families, enforcement operations, drug trade and car stops along the U.S. border.

As President Donald Trump clashed with Democrats over border wall funding, McAleenan said the wall was important but so were other projects.

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