US border post ‘too busy’ for group of Central American asylum seekers
A group of Central Americans who journeyed in a caravan to the US border resolved to turn themselves in and ask for asylum yesterday in a direct challenge to the Trump administration — only to have US immigration officials announce that the San Diego crossing was already at capacity.
Nearly 200 migrants, many travelling with children, had decided to apply for protection at the nation’s busiest border crossing after many fled violence in their home countries, organisers said. The caravan got attention after President Donald Trump and members of his Cabinet called it a threat to the United States.
Shortly before the migrants were expected to arrive, US Customs and Border Protection said San Diego’s San Ysidro crossing would not immediately be able to handle more asylum seekers. It can hold about 300 people at a time, and officials had been warning that it might fill up.
‘‘At this time, we have reached capacity at the San Ysidro port of entry for CBP officers to be able to bring additional persons travelling without appropriate entry documentation into the port of entry for processing,’’ Commissioner Kevin McAleenan said in a statement.
‘‘Those individuals may need to wait in Mexico as CBP officers work to process those already within our facilities.’’
Despite the announcement, about 50 people walked across a bridge and approached the port facility, but were not immediately accommodated by U.S. officials. They were being permitted to wait in passageways until room became available, and appeared prepared to wait overnight, according to Irineo Mujica, one of the organisers of Pueblos Sin Fronteras, an organisation assisting the asylum speakers.
Another 50 prepared to camp outside a gate on the Mexican side of the border crossing with backpacks and blankets hoping to get their turn on Monday.
Nicole Ramos, an attorney working on behalf of caravan members, expressed disbelief that US authorities cannot process more asylum seekers until its backlog eases.
‘‘They have been well aware that a caravan is going to arrive at the border,’’ she said at a news conference. ‘‘The failure to prepare and failure to get sufficient agents and resources is not the fault of the most vulnerable among us. We can build a base in Iraq in under a week. We can’t process 200 refugees. I don’t believe it.’’