martha pskowski.didates in germany's general election have held a final televised debate ahead of polling day on sunday. they included the three frontrunners to succeed angela merkel, who's standing down after 16 years as chancellor. 0ur correspondent in berlin, damien mcguinness, watched the debate. with just three days to go before the election, this debate was a final chance for party leaders to win over voters. topics ranged from affordable housing and the national debt to climate change and how to deal with china. the current leader in the polls is 0laf scholz, the centre left social democrat to replace angela merkel. —— social democrat candidate to replace angela merkel. when asked about the new aukus security pact between the uk, australia and the us, mr scholz said germany should work together with france to create a stronger europe. "i can understand the irritation that france felt about how the defence pact was worked out," he said. his conservative rival armin laschet, who is lagging behind

we can speak now to martha pskowski, a journalist at el paso times.co, and has been meeting with these people all day. thanks very much indeed for joining us byjust wonder what you've seen over the course of the day stop slow been here since friday evening, and today there was a clear departure from what we had seen previously, the us and mexican enforcement agencies agreed they will no longer allow patients to cross into the us soil where this encampment is set up. soil where this encampment is set u -. , ., ,., soil where this encampment is setu. set up. they also stopping atients set up. they also stopping patients from _ set up. they also stopping patients from arriving - set up. they also stopping patients from arriving on | set up. they also stopping - patients from arriving on buses here on the mexican side and we saw some tense moments on the river today as they were coming back. 0fficial agents were preventing them from re—entering us territory. preventing them from re-entering us territory. we've heard reports _ re-entering us territory. we'

martha pskowski is a journalist for the el paso times.short while ago to provide an update on the situation. i was reporting earlier this week and mexican immigration agents have closed in the park and the mexican side where people had been congregating so the pressure has really increased. when i got there last weekend, people were openly walking on the street. that is not the case any more and there's a lot of fear on the mexican side as well, and people do not want to cross over to the us because they have heard that deportation is going forward. it is either — stay in mexico, attempt to cross to the us, where you will potentially be sent back to a country that you may be left months ago. yes, they are really left without options. everyone has been asking me what to do now and everyone i've spoken with, the people i interviewed there, they really don't know what to do. they spent all their money. they have spent months travelling. this was really their last shot and they are holding out hope that they may be able to enter the us but th

martha pskowski is a journalist for the el paso times.rom el paso. for the el paso times. thank you very much for making the time for us. you've been to a couple of these hotspots where there has been clashes between border patrol agents and some of these migrants. what is the situation on the ground at the moment? i was reporting _ ground at the moment? i was reporting earlier— ground at the moment? i was reporting earlier this - ground at the moment? i was reporting earlier this week - ground at the moment? i was| reporting earlier this week and mexican immigration agents have closed in the park and the mexican side where people had been congregating so the pressure has really increased. when i got there last weekend people were openly walking on the street. that is not the case any more and there's a lot of fear on the mexican side as well and people do not want to cross over to the us because they have heard that deportation is going forward. it is either stay in mexico, an attempt to cross to the us for you will potentially be sent b