Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 26 april 2018

Central American asylum seeking caravan reaches U.S. border

By ELLIOT SPAGAT cy's San Diego field office.
TIJUANA, Mexico (AP) — It turns them over to U.S.
About 130 Central Ameri- Immigration and Customs
cans, mostly women and Enforcement to determine
children, have arrived at if they should be held long-
the U.S. border with Mexico term of if they can be re-
in a "caravan" of asylum- leased while their cases are
seeking immigrants that pending, often wearing an-
has drawn the fury of Presi- kle monitors that track their
dent Donald Trump. movements.
Two busloads arrived late The San Diego border cross-
Tuesday in the Mexican ing was so overwhelmed
border city of Tijuana at by Haitians in 2016 that U.S.
two migrant shelters just officials worked with their
steps from one of the most Mexican counterparts to
fortified stretches of border create a ticketing system
separating the U.S. from that let the Haitians in over
Mexico. They joined anoth- time. Some waited their
er 50 or so who arrived in turn in Tijuana more than
Tijuana over the last week five weeks.
or two. More recently, asylum
Four more busloads of seekers have had to wait at
about 200 Central Ameri- most only a few hours, nev-
cans — mostly women and er overnight, Flores said. If
children but including some asylum-seekers make it
men, were expected to ar- through initial screenings
rive in Tijuana Wednesday, Temporary tents for about 130 Central Americans, mostly women and children, who arrived at the with asylum officers by es-
U.S. border with Mexico in a "caravan" of asylum-seeking immigrants that has drawn the fury of
said Alex Mensing, project President Donald Trump, are seen in a shelter in Tijuana, Mexico, on Tuesday, April 24, 2018. tablishing "credible fear"
coordinator for Pueblos Sin Associated Press of being returned to their
Fronteras, which is organiz- homelands, they are al-
ing the effort. groups to bring attention to Wednesday after arriv- "Trump's words have made lowed in and face what
U.S. lawyers planned to Central American citizens ing in Tijuana Tuesday that it difficult for us," he said. can be lengthy proceed-
lead clinics later this week seeking asylum in the U.S. Trump's attacks on the This caravan's numbers ings before U.S. immigra-
on U.S. asylum law to tell to escape political perse- caravan makes him doubt pale compared to roughly tion judges.
them what to expect when cution or criminal threats whether he'll succeed in 200,000 people who were Ginger Jacobs, a San Diego
they seek asylum. The first from gangs. getting asylum for himself, arrested at the border in immigration attorney who
groups are expected to try But the latest one drew his wife and his daughters Texas' Rio Grande Valley helped Haitians seeking en-
to enter the U.S. on Sunday more attention because ages 4 and 10 months — during the spring of 2014 try to the U.S. in 2016, said
at a border crossing in San Trump's attention from al- but still plans to try. during the administration of Trump's concerns about a
Diego. most moment it began Torres, 37, said he fled his President Barack Obama, rush of Central Americans
Trump and senior aides March 25 in the Mexican hometown near the coun- many of them Central seeking asylum were "com-
have portrayed the cara- city of Tapachula, near try's capital of San Salvador American women and pletely overblown." "I don't
vans and the asylum seek- the Guatemalan border, and joined the caravan children. And thousands of see this caravan thing be-
ers as evidence of a dys- and while it slowly trav- days after a gang threat- Haitians seeking to enter ing a big deal," she said. "I
functional border and a eled across Mexico. Trump ened to kill him and his wife the U.S. turned themselves see it as something the port
serious threat. The president used it as an example to after he refused to give a in to U.S. border inspectors will be able to handle com-
tweeted this week that he try to win more support for free ride to a gang mem- at the Tijuana-San Diego petently and professional-
has issued orders "not to let his planned border wall ber. border crossing, the na- ly." Homeland Security Sec-
these large Caravans of — even though the asy- He thinks he's almost cer- tion's busiest. retary Kirstjen Nielsen said
people into our Country. It lum-seekers plan to turn tain to be killed if he goes U.S. Customs and Border Monday that U.S. authori-
is a disgrace." themselves in to border in- home and decided against Protection has space to ties may detain asylum-
The caravans have been spectors. seeking asylum in Mexico hold about 300 people seekers "while their claims
a fairly common tactic for Taxi driver Jovanne Tor- because he wants to join at the crossing, said Pete are adjudicated efficiently
years among advocacy res from El Salvador said relatives in Houston. Flores, director of the agen- and expeditiously." q