Thread: All 228 members of Central American caravan now in U.S.

All members of Central American caravan now in U.S.

Gustavo Solis and David Hernandez Contact Reporters


The last group of asylum seekers from the Central American caravan crossed into the United States this morning.

A little after 9 a.m. a group of about 70 walked into the U.S. Port of Entry as friends planning to stay in Mexico waved goodbye and some cheered as the others walked into the U.S.

Since arriving in Tijuana Sunday, approximately 228 members of the caravan entered the U.S. to ask for asylum.

Just because they entered the country doesn’t mean they will stay. The asylum process takes month, if not years, to complete and applicants from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador have high denial rates, records show.

As the asylum seekers left their makeshift tent city a few feet from the border, those who chose to stay in Mexico packed up.

Among them was Mario Mejia, 35 of El Salvador. Mejia joined the caravan from the beginning at the Guatemala-Mexico border.

He hoped to cross into the U.S. with his wife but decided not to go after a lawyer told him he had a weak case.

Mejia has five deportations on his record between 2010 and 2013 for trying to cross from Mexico into Arizona. The latest one resulted in an 18-month stint inside an immigration detention center in southern Nevada, he said. Should he be caught again he would face three years in detention.

“I’m happy for the people who have the opportunity to go,” he said. “My wife has never been to the United States. She was very excited for the opportunity.”

The last thing he told his wife was, “keep moving forward,” he said.

Mejia, who fled gang violence in El Salvador, won’t be able to stay in Tijuana. The Mexican government denied his asylum claim a year ago.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” he said.

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...504-story.html

Now charter 7 buses to load them up and send them back.

Give them a sack lunch and a pillow...they can sleep on the way back home.

They chartered buses to bring them here...and they can go BACK the same way.

“I’m happy for the people who have the opportunity to go,” he said. “My wife has never been to the United States. She was very excited for the opportunity.”

The last thing he told his wife was, “keep moving forward,” he said.
Mejia, who fled gang violence in El Salvador, won’t be able to stay in Tijuana. The Mexican government denied his asylum claim a year ago.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” he said.

I have a pretty good idea what you'll probably end up doing. My guess is you'll join your wife once she is here 180 days and receives a work permit. Somebody that has illegally crossed as many times as you have won't let the threat of going to prison scare you ... you haven't in the past.

. . . Nearly 80 percent of asylum-seekers passed the initial screening from October through December, but few are likely to win asylum, which requires the petitioner to show well-founded fear of persecution on grounds of race, religion, nationality, political beliefs or membership in a social group.

The denial rate for El Salvadorans seeking asylum was 79 percent from 2012-17, according to the Syracuse University's Transactional Records Action Clearinghouse. Hondurans were close behind with a 78 percent denial rate, followed by Guatemalans at 75 percent.


Information for this article was contributed by Gerardo Carrillo of The Associated Press.
A Section on 05/03/2018
Print Headline: Asylum seekers' bids unseen by the public

http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2...-by-the-publi/

Possibly denied, if they show up, after waiting 3 yrs with a work permit, is not a good policy. Remove obama's decree of "fear" w/o the religious, political reason part which is the actual law. How hard is that to do? Revert back to written law on asylums. There are other things that could be done today!

Congress needs to close the loopholes to bring credibility back to the asylum process. In the meantime, DHS can detain all asylum-seekers until an immigration judge can hear their case, and the agency can order its asylum officers to more aggressively deny credible fear claims when it's likely the asylum-seeker will lose his/her case for asylum.

kelly & lady daca gotta go. kelly talked truMp into daca amnesty, and cheap labor central americans - lady daca is right there with kelly - they are plants! Get them out. TOO POLITE FOR THIS CRISIS SITUATION.

Let's have professionals with keen knowledge of what can be done along with trump actually growing a set and declaring all asylums denied, border emergency, program misued and we do not have the resources to continue it nor can we subject our American citizens to this burden of fear, monies, crimes, drug gangs, diseases, etc. Case closed - bonanza over. If he doesn't there will be over 100,000 thru spring, summer, fall impacting further our resources. HOW CAN TRUMP ALLOW THIS TO CONTINUE WHEN HE HAS A PEN JUST LIKE OBAMA HAD?

Mom from migrant caravan making way with kids through immigration system

Caravan travelers seeking asylum cross US-Mexico border

Demand Congress repeal all asylum, refugee and unaccompanied children laws. Just stop this insanity.

Originally Posted by artist

Possibly denied, if they show up, after waiting 3 yrs with a work permit, is not a good policy. Remove obama's decree of "fear" w/o the religious, political reason part which is the actual law. How hard is that to do? Revert back to written law on asylums. There are other things that could be done today!


kelly & lady daca gotta go. kelly talked truMp into daca amnesty, and cheap labor central americans - lady daca is right there with kelly - they are plants! Get them out. TOO POLITE FOR THIS CRISIS SITUATION.

Let's have professionals with keen knowledge of what can be done along with trump actually growing a set and declaring all asylums denied, border emergency, program misued and we do not have the resources to continue it nor can we subject our American citizens to this burden of fear, monies, crimes, drug gangs, diseases, etc. Case closed - bonanza over. If he doesn't there will be over 100,000 thru spring, summer, fall impacting further our resources. HOW CAN TRUMP ALLOW THIS TO CONTINUE WHEN HE HAS A PEN JUST LIKE OBAMA HAD?

Lady DACA as you call her was Kelly's pick for Secretary of DHS. Kelly convinced Trump that she was the right person for the job. Well, I'm with you, her and Kelly weren't good choices.

Mexico deported 400 people in ‘Caravan’