200 Central American migrants remain stalled at U.S. border
TIJUANA, Mexico — About 200 migrants from Central America who traveled in a caravan through Mexico are camped outside the entrance of the San Ysidro port of entry, after being turned away Sunday by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials.
So far, none of the migrants from Central America seeking asylum in the U.S. has been allowed into the port to be processed, said Irineo Mujica of Pueblo Sin Fronteras, the transnational group that organized the caravan.
CBP officials confirmed on Monday that the port remains at capacity and that no new asylum seekers have been processed for the second day in a row.
“What I think they are trying to do is
punish the caravan,” Mujica said. “We know that there is enormous pressure by the American government ... to punish the caravan to try and force them to leave and go back to their countries.”
The group Human Rights First called on the Trump administration to promptly process the asylum-seekers, calling the response so far “a manufactured PR crisis designed to mislead the American public into closing the door on those seeking protection.”
“It is particularly alarming that the government has not yet processed a single person for protection, even though the caravan has complied with requests to break into smaller groups,” added Laura Gault, a Human Rights First lawyer observing the situation at the border. “The Trump Administration must stop trying to do an end-run around the law.”
Trump’s antagonism toward the caravan is well-established.
At a Saturday night rally in Michigan, Trump called the situation a mess.
“Are you watching that mess that’s going on right now with the caravan coming up? Are you watching this?” Trump asked the crowd. “And our laws are so weak, they’re so pathetic. And let me tell you, we have gotten Mexico to work with us on stopping a lot of what’s pouring in, but we have the worst laws anywhere in the world.”
Mujica said the migrants are prepared to wait as long as it takes until they are given a chance to present themselves to U.S. border officers and ask for asylum.
After traveling for more than a month over more than 2,500 miles through Mexico, it’s “unthinkable” that they will be returned to their home countries in Central America because they are fleeing for their lives, he said.
About 200 migrants from Central America who traveled with the caravan, including on buses and on freight trains, walked to the port on Sunday.
The event was covered by dozens of media outlets from Mexico, the U.S. and other countries.
One group of about 50 walked through the gates and into the port facilities but where turned away, Mujica said.
On Monday, about 20 migrants from the initial group remained inside the port facility but as of Monday morning none of them had been processed, Mujica said.
The remainder are camped outside the entrance in an area that has been penned off by Mexican immigration officials. There are about a dozen Mexican federal police officers stationed outside to provide protection.
Volunteers have been dropping off food, diapers and other necessities.