Migrant caravan on final push to seek U.S. asylum
MEXICALI, Mexico — About 170 people in a caravan of Central Americans traveled in buses Thursday for the final leg of their journey to seek asylum in the United States, despite warnings from the Trump administration that they could be prosecuted, detained and quickly deported.
Men, women and children traveled under Mexican federal police escort on a curvy, mountainous road from the Mexican border city of Mexicali to Tijuana to join up with about 175 others already there.
Lawyers planned free workshops on the U.S. immigration system on Friday and Saturday in Tijuana. Many planned to seek asylum starting Sunday at San Diego’s San Ysidro border crossing, the nation’s busiest.
Migrant shelters in Tijuana’s Zona Norte neighborhood, home to many of the city’s seedy bars and bordellos, were full. That forced organizers to look elsewhere for temporary housing, said Leonard Olsen of Pueblos Sin Fronteras, a group leading the effort.
President Donald Trump cited the caravan as justification for the border wall he wants to build on Thursday.
He said he ordered the Homeland Security Department to “stop the caravan” but that more needs to be done.
“We need a strong, impenetrable WALL that will end this problem once and for all,” he wrote to campaign supporters.
Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen said late Wednesday that any person trying to cross into the U.S. who makes false claims to immigration authorities will subject to criminal prosecution.
She said prosecution was also possible for any people who might assist or coach immigrants to make false claims in bids to enter the U.S.
The U.S. government is marshaling resources to ensure that cases are promptly decided, Nielsen said. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has said he may assign additional immigration judges to handle cases.
As Sunday’s showdown at the busy Tijuana-san Diego border crossing neared, Amnesty International hoisted a billboard promoting the right to asylum in the U.S. on a truck in Tijuana that drove around the city. 3
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