Asylum seekers reportedly being turned away at ports of entry
Asylum seekers reportedly being turned away at ports of entry
by Adriana Candelaria
Monday, June 4th 2018
http://static-41.sinclairstoryline.c...?1528158923467
In recent weeks, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers have stood near the U.S.-Mexico boundary line, asking for documents of people who are crossing the pedestrian international bridges.
The proximity to where the officers are standing is raising reports that asylum-seekers are being turned away before reaching the port of entry to present their case for asylum.
About five people have reported CBP officers on the bridge to congressman Beto O’Rourke’s office, according to a spokesman with the congressman's office.
“Customs and Border Protection has told me that they have a capacity issue, that they're trying to manage demand for a legitimate trouble for asylum-seekers, stopping the entry of illegal drugs and people who might be smuggled into this country,” said O’Rourke.
“We want to support CBP in the very tough job that they have, but that support cannot include turning a blind eye to bypassing fundamental protections within the U.S. law for asylum-seekers.”
The operation has been happening for about one month, according to a spokesman with CBP.
In a statement, CBP said:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is taking a proactive approach to ensure that arriving travelers have valid entry documents in order to expedite the processing of lawful travel. That being said, CBP processes undocumented persons as expeditiously as possible without negating the agency's overall mission, or compromising the safety of individuals within our custody. The number of inadmissible individuals CBP is able to process varies based upon case complexity; available resources; medical needs; translation requirements; holding/detention space; overall port volume; and ongoing enforcement actions. This has been occurring intermittently as needed for about a month.
Congressman O’Rourke is asking the public to report asylum-seekers being turned away to his office at 915-541-1400.
http://kfoxtv.com/news/local/asylum-seekers