Following is the latest news on the caravan of Central Americans on the US/Mexican border near San Diego as they prepare to cross into the United States to seek asylum. We will continue to update this article as new information becomes available.
The caravan, which started with 1,500 migrants, is down to 200 attempting to cross at San Diego as soon as accommodations become available.
One has to wonder where the other 1,300 migrants who began the journey are now. I am guessing that many stayed in Mexico and many are scattered across the US border choosing more favorable points of entry.
The question I would like an answer to is why these migrants don’t choose to migrate to countries closer to their home countries, countries where Spanish is the official language. I suspect the answer is the generous US welfare system, free healthcare, and free primary education.
As much as my heart breaks for these poor people, it breaks more for my children and grandchildren, knowing that they are going to have to pay for this.
President Trump must send them back. There is no choice. Imagine the never-ending flood of asylum-seekers that will invade America if this group is given asylum.
7 p.m. Sunday, 4/29/2018 (ABC)
One of the organizers for a group of Central American migrants who traveled in a caravan to try to seek asylum in the U.S. says about 50 of them attempted to present themselves to U.S. border inspectors at a crossing near San Diego.
The attempt came despite an announcement earlier Sunday by U.S. officials that the San Ysidro port of entry had reached capacity.
The group is part of a wave of 200 that announced their intentions to seek asylum. They appeared to be prepared to wait overnight for word on when the facility would be able to accommodate them.
Irineo Mujica, one of the organizers for Pueblos Sin Fronteras which is assisting the asylum seekers, accompanied them to the inspectors. It was not clear how long it might take for the initial group to be seen by U.S. border officials.
Another 50 others camped outside a gate on the Mexican side of the border crossing. They had backpacks and blankets and were hoping to get their turn Monday to approach the U.S. facility.
All times are Pacific.
4:15 p.m.
About 200 Central American migrants who traveled in a caravan and planned to try to seek asylum in the U.S. has arrived at San Diego’s border crossing.
But U.S. officials announced before they arrived Sunday that the San Ysidro port of entry had reached capacity.
Rodulfo Figueroa, the top Mexican immigration official in Baja California state, told caravan organizers to send in an initial group of 20 migrants to see if U.S. border inspectors would entertain their request for asylum.
Figueroa said he doesn’t know if they’ll be allowed in and hasn’t received word from U.S. immigration officials.
The caravan has criticized as a threat by the Trump administration.
The migrants marched a short distance through downtown Tijuana and across a bridge to the nation’s busiest border crossing, many carrying Honduran flags and chanting.
3:25 p.m.
An attorney working for a caravan of Central Americans has expressed disbelief that U.S. authorities say they cannot process more asylum seekers at the San Diego border crossing until its backlog eases.
Lawyer Nicole Ramos said at a news conference that U.S. Customs and Border Protection knew the migrants were going to arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border Sunday and failed to prepare with sufficient agents and resources.
Despite the news, about 200 people who planned to turn themselves in and seek asylum still started walking toward San Diego’s San Ysidro crossing.
U.S. officials have said the nation’s busiest border crossing can hold about 300 people at a time.
The caravan got attention after President Donald Trump and members of his Cabinet called it a threat to the United States.