Eight members of the Central American caravan of migrants traveling to the U.S.-Mexican border were allowed to enter the U.S. and apply for asylum Monday night.
The eight migrants, all women and children, entered the U.S. at the San Ysidro port of entry, which is a western entry point where Mexico shares a border with California, Reuters reported.
According to the Washington Examiner, Over the weekend, hundreds of caravan members set up camp on the Mexico side of the fence, just miles south of San Diego.
The group refused to leave after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials informed them they cannot process that many asylum seekers in a day, a move Judd said was done only because of President Trump’s instruction to end “catch-and-release” policies that were used during former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama’s administrations.
As Reported By Elliot Spagat With VC Star:
President Donald Trump and members of his Cabinet have been tracking the caravan, calling it a threat to the U.S. since it started March 25 in the Mexican city of Tapachula, near the Guatemala border. They have promised a stern, swift response.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions called the caravan “a deliberate attempt to undermine our laws and overwhelm our system,” pledging to send more immigration judges to the border to resolve cases if needed.
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said asylum claims will be resolved “efficiently and expeditiously” but said the asylum-seekers should seek it in the first safe country they reach, including Mexico.
Any asylum seekers making false claims to U.S. authorities could be prosecuted as could anyone who assists or coaches immigrants on making false claims, Nielsen said. Administration officials and their allies claim asylum fraud is growing and that many who seek it are coached on how to do so.
