The caravan will put pressure on the US Border Patrol, which is already dealing with a record number of crossings. AP
Members of the 8,000-strong migrant caravan were seen clinging to the side of a train bound for the southern US border as they headed to El Paso, Texas.
Footage posted online Thursday shows several dozen migrants clinging to the side of a train dubbed “The Beast” as it passes through Chihuahua, Mexico.
It is believed the group was en route to Juarez, Mexico, which is just across the border from El Paso, where their asylum claims will be processed by Customs and Border Patrol agents and they will be allowed into the US.
The group apparently hopes to arrive in Texas before a new state law takes effect that allows state police to arrest, jail, prosecute and possibly even deport anyone crossing the border illegally.
The law will take effect in March but is already facing a legal challenge from the Biden administration.
The goal is to arrive in Texas before the law goes into effect that would allow law enforcement to detain, arrest and even deport undocumented people. therealfitfamelpaso / Instagram About 8,000 people marched to the Texas border in hopes of claiming asylum. Reuters
A Justice Department official sent a letter to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday saying the law is unconstitutional and “contrary to the US commitment to ensure the processing of non-citizens in accordance with the Immigration and Nationality Act.”
If the state starts enforcing the law, the Justice Department said, it will file a lawsuit.
But the caravan heading to the US threatens to further strain the already overburdened Border Patrol, which is seeing a record number of border crossings.
A massive migrant caravan of at least 8,000 people is heading to the US. Juan Manuel Blanco/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock The group is believed to be en route to Juarez, Mexico, which is just across the border from El Paso, where their asylum claims will be processed by Customs and Border Patrol agents. Reuters
There were 242,418 encounters last month, according to the latest figures released by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Friday.
December is also on track to hit an all-time high with 10,000 migrants apprehended each day at the southwest border.
The number of immigrant encounters in December has already exceeded 200,000.
It is believed that the caravan was on its way to the El Paso border to process their asylum claims. Banners carried by people read “Get out of poverty” in Spanish. Juan Manuel Blanco/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock A caravan headed for the US threatens to further strain the already overburdened Border Patrol. REUTERS December is on track to hit an all-time record number of border apprehensions with as many as 10,000 migrants apprehended each day at the southwest border. Reuters
In an effort to stem the flow of migrants, US Customs and Border Protection halted train operations at the international crossing into Texas earlier this month.
“CBP continues to increase all available resources to safely process immigrants in response to increased levels of immigrant encounters at the southwest border, driven by smugglers peddling misinformation to prey on vulnerable individuals,” the agency said in a statement at the time.
“After observing the recent resurgence of smuggling organizations moving migrants through Mexico via freight train, CBP is taking additional actions to increase staffing and address this developmentally, including in cooperation with Mexican authorities.”
There is a resurgence in smuggling. Juan Manuel Blanco/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock The group apparently hopes to arrive in Texas before a new state law takes effect that allows state police to arrest, jail, prosecute and possibly deport anyone crossing the border illegally. Juan Manuel Blanco/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock In an effort to stem the flow of migrants, US Customs and Border Protection halted train operations at the international crossing into Texas earlier this month. Reuters
But on Thursday, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced that Mexican and American authorities had agreed to keep the border crossing open.
“This agreement has been reached,” he said at a morning press conference.
“The railway crossing and the border bridge have been opened to normalize the situation.”
Meanwhile, more than 11,000 other asylum seekers are huddled on the Mexican side of the southern border in shelters in camps, waiting for a chance to cross into the United States.
About 3,800 asylum seekers from Mexico, Haiti, Venezuela and Cuba gathered in Tijuana, Mexico, CNN reported.
The migrants rest on the side of the road before continuing to walk in a caravan in an attempt to reach the US border, at Escuintla. REUTERS More than 11,000 other asylum seekers huddled on the Mexican side of the southern border in shelters at the camp, waiting for a chance to cross into the United States. Reuters
Another group of about 3,723 immigrants are biding their time in Reynosa, across the border from McAllen, Texas.
As many as 4,000 asylum seekers are also waiting in Matamoros, Mexico, scattered in camps, shelters and abandoned houses.
Immigrants living in Mexico hope to take advantage of the federal parole program introduced by the Biden administration earlier this year and cross legally, according to Glady Cañas, who runs a nonprofit that provides services to asylum seekers in Matamoros.
With Postal wire
About 3,800 asylum seekers from Mexico, Haiti, Venezuela and Cuba gathered in Tijuana, Mexico. Reuters
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