MEXICO CITY – A total of 67 of the 78 undocumented Mexicans who were fired upon by U.S. Customs agents last week at a California border crossing accepted voluntary repatriation to Mexico, the foreign ministry said Monday.

The Mexican consulate in San Diego supported the undocumented people to ensure “their safe and orderly return” to Mexican territory, said the ministry in a communique.

Last Tuesday, U.S. agents at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, which links San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico, opened fire on three vans carrying 78 illegal immigrants after the drivers tried to evade inspection.

Four people were hurt in the incident.

The Mexican government said that one of the people injured by the gunfire had already been released and repatriated to Mexico and that, in all, 73 of the 78 people involved had been interviewed so that they could be offered consular help.

Of the five remaining people, three were transported to Mexico so that they could provide testimony to prosecutors in Tijuana, one was sent to Los Angeles County jail to face pending U.S. charges and the other is still hospitalized in the United States.

Meanwhile, the Mexican foreign ministry said that it had “managed to gain access” to the Mexicans who are still in San Diego “as detainees to face charges of people trafficking or as material witnesses in the incident,” although it did not specify how many people were in that group.

The foreign ministry said that it will continue to follow the judicial situation of the Mexicans in U.S. custody on an “ongoing” basis “to guarantee that they are given fair treatment ... with adherence to bilateral treaties and international law.” EFE