In a separate tweet, the U.S. Army gave credit to the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion of the U.S. Marine Corps as part of the Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force 7 for strengthening the border defenses at the nearby Otay Mesa port of entry. At about 3:15 a.m. local time, border officials halted all northbound traffic after receiving reports about the potential rush by migrants. The border remained closed until about 6:25 a.m., when 16 lanes were reopened to northbound traffic. Ten lanes remained closed. In a statement from the Border Patrol, spokesman Pete Flores said that his agency "will not allow for the unlawful entry of persons into the United States, at or between our ports of entry." Flores said, "Waiting until a large group of persons mass at the border to attempt an illegal crossing is too late for us; we need to be prepared prior to when they arrive at the border crossing."