{"id":1689,"date":"2018-05-11T12:07:52","date_gmt":"2018-05-11T12:07:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/theamericasblog\/?p=1689"},"modified":"2018-05-11T12:07:52","modified_gmt":"2018-05-11T12:07:52","slug":"migrant-caravan-of-asylum-seekers-reaches-u-s-border","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/theamericasblog\/2018\/05\/11\/migrant-caravan-of-asylum-seekers-reaches-u-s-border\/","title":{"rendered":"Migrant Caravan of Asylum Seekers Reaches U.S. Border"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"styles-headerBasic--2I87W css-uvwqfx e111kb3g0\">\n<p class=\"css-ua6igs ejekc6u0\"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem\">By\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"css-1baulvz\" style=\"font-size: 1rem\"><a class=\"css-hlplvh e1x1pwtg0\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/kirk-semple\">Kirk Semple<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem\">\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"css-1baulvz\" style=\"font-size: 1rem\"><a class=\"css-hlplvh e1x1pwtg0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/miriam-jordan\/\">Miriam Jordan<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"styles-bylineTimestamp--3EUut styles-toneNews--1wgku\">April 29, 2018<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"StoryBodyCompanionColumn css-1bytduc emamhsk0\">\n<div class=\"css-xk4wzv emamhsk2\">\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\">TIJUANA, Mexico \u2014 A long, grueling journey gave way to what could be a long, uncertain asylum process Sunday as a caravan of immigrants finally reached the border between the United States and Mexico, setting up a dramatic moment and a test of President Trump\u2019s anti-immigrant politics.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\">More than 150 migrants, part of a caravan that once numbered about 1,200 and headed north in March from Mexico\u2019s border with Guatemala, were prepared to seek asylum from United States immigration officials.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\">But in what was likely to be one of many curves on the road, the migrants were told Sunday afternoon that the immigration officials could not process their claims, and they would have to spend the night on the Mexican side of the border.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\">It was only the latest twist in an immigration drama that has played out in relative obscurity in recent years. Usually during the Easter season, immigrants have headed north together as a form of protection against the kidnappers, muggers and rapists who stalk the migrant trail, and to draw attention to their plight. But this year it has become a volatile flash point in the immigration debate ignited by Mr. Trump.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"StoryBodyCompanionColumn css-1bytduc emamhsk0\">\n<div class=\"css-xk4wzv emamhsk2\">\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\">For the migrants, the moment was a fraught, deeply personal one.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\">Mario Quintanillo, 30, and Cecilia Sarai Carillo, 23, who are from El Salvador, were among four couples who wed at the beach in Tijuana on Sunday morning, in the company of their 2-year-old daughter, Daryeline Ariana.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-15v9f0h emamhsk1\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"VideoBlock-videoBlock--2Re96 ResponsiveMedia-media--32g1o ResponsiveMedia-sizeMedium--3hVlk ResponsiveMedia-toneNews--pMwMi\" role=\"group\"><figcaption class=\"media-caption--3q8sa ResponsiveMedia-caption--1dUVu\"><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"StoryBodyCompanionColumn css-1bytduc emamhsk0\">\n<div class=\"css-xk4wzv emamhsk2\">\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\">They planned to apply for asylum at the American border, but knew there was a good chance that they would be split up during the process \u2014 possibly for months.<\/p>\n<div class=\"InlineMessage-inline--2ysnq InlineMessage-toneNews--1LUe4\">\n<div class=\"InlineMessage-bottomLine--3gvLn\">\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 1rem\">\u201cBut I\u2019m going with the feeling that it\u2019s going to be worth the effort,\u201d said Mr. Quintanillo. He said his family <\/span>were<span style=\"font-size: 1rem\"> fleeing a gang that had attacked him and killed a close relative. \u201cIn the name of God, everything is possible,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\">Overlaying the personal struggles was a dense tangle of politics and policy \u2014 the ill will between Mr. Trump and Mexico that began the day he announced his candidacy; the acrimony between Mr. Trump and Gov. Jerry Brown of California over immigration; the politics of sanctuary cities; and the political logjam in Congress over funding Mr. Trump\u2019s proposed border wall.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\"><em class=\"css-2fg4z9 ehxkw330\">[<\/em><a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/04\/04\/world\/americas\/mexico-trump-caravan.html?action=click&amp;module=Intentional&amp;pgtype=Article\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em class=\"css-2fg4z9 ehxkw330\">Inside an Immigrant Caravan: Women and Children, Fleeing Violence<\/em><\/a><em class=\"css-2fg4z9 ehxkw330\">]<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\">It all plays out in the context of Mr. Trump\u2019s goal of making immigration a galvanizing issue in the midterm elections with Republicans worried about losing control of the House and perhaps the Senate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem\">\u201cFor us, this is all about who we are as a country,\u201d she said. She added: \u201cThis is an existential moment. This is a spiritual moment. I want it to be true that when we say, \u2018Liberty and justice for all,\u2019 we mean it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"StoryBodyCompanionColumn css-1bytduc emamhsk0\">\n<div class=\"css-xk4wzv emamhsk2\">\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\">It is a debate Mr. Trump apparently relishes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\">With the migrants on the doorstep of the United States, Mr. Trump, in a tweet last week, ratcheted up his rhetoric, vowing \u201cnot to let these large Caravans of people into our Country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\">Mr. Trump repeatedly came back to immigration issues at a rally in Michigan on Saturday night, saying at one point: \u201cIf we don\u2019t get border security, we\u2019ll close down the country,\u201d apparently referring to a government shutdown when a funding deadline is reached in September.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\">Other administration officials have also been vocal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\"><a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/attorney-general-jeff-sessions-statement-central-american-caravan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Attorney General Jeff Sessions called the caravan<\/a>\u00a0\u201ca deliberate attempt to undermine our laws and overwhelm our system.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\">Joined by supporters and dozens of members of the news media, the migrants gathered in a park on the Pacific Ocean about 10 a.m. local time and then later on a pedestrian plaza in front of a community center in downtown Tijuana. Scores of supporters, some of whom had walked from as far as Los Angeles, rallied Sunday morning just north of the fence separating the United States from Mexico on the American side of the oceanfront park.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-15v9f0h emamhsk1\">\n<div class=\"css-1c4jp46 e1u7cc251\">\n<p class=\"css-1ojiynu e1u7cc252\">\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"css-1ardp2d e1a8i6eb0\" role=\"group\">\n<div class=\"css-1xdhyk6 e1vv25i80\"><span class=\"css-1ly73wi e1afaoz0\">Image<\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"LazyImage-container--2tSj7\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"css-1m50asq\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/04\/30\/world\/30mexico-caravan-3\/merlin_137502486_ae56377d-5181-4801-b55e-f8efecbc10b3-superJumbo.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"css-1wtlzrm e3zkro30\"><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"StoryBodyCompanionColumn css-1bytduc emamhsk0\">\n<div class=\"css-xk4wzv emamhsk2\">\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\">[<em class=\"css-2fg4z9 ehxkw330\"><a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/04\/24\/world\/americas\/migrant-caravan-mexico.html?action=click&amp;module=Intentional&amp;pgtype=Article\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Migrant Caravan Arrives at U.S. Border, But Long Road Awaits<\/a><\/em>]<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\">What was supposed to be the final act of the caravan began about 3:30 p.m., when more than 150 of the participants, accompanied by relatives, supporters and the press, marched several blocks to a border crossing in Tijuana called El Chaparral. As they walked, they chanted and waved Honduran flags.<span style=\"font-size: 1rem\">To qualify for asylum, applicants must prove they have been persecuted or fear persecution based on their race, religion, nationality, political beliefs or membership in a particular group.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"StoryBodyCompanionColumn css-1bytduc emamhsk0\">\n<div class=\"css-xk4wzv emamhsk2\">\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\">People who request protection at a United States entry point must be referred to an asylum officer for a screening, known as a credible-fear interview. If the officer finds that an applicant has a chance of proving fear of persecution, the person must then present his or her case before a judge. More than three quarters of applicants pass that initial review.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\">\u201cWe\u2019re only sending people who we think will pass the credible-fear interview,\u201d said Nicole Ramos, a volunteer immigration lawyer helping the caravan.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\">But Customs and Border Protection, whose officers are stationed at ports of entry, announced late Sunday that it had exhausted its capacity to handle people traveling without documents.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-15v9f0h emamhsk1\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"css-1ardp2d e1a8i6eb0\" role=\"group\"><figcaption class=\"css-1wtlzrm e3zkro30\"><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"StoryBodyCompanionColumn css-1bytduc emamhsk0\">\n<div class=\"css-xk4wzv emamhsk2\">\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\">Still, caravan organizers escorted some 50 participants along the long, elevated pedestrian walkway at El Chaparral that leads from Tijuana to the entrance to the United States in San Diego. At the gate leading into the American immigration checkpoint, American border authorities reaffirmed that they would not be able to process any more asylum-seekers on Sunday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\">Alex Mensing, project coordinator for Pueblo Sin Fronteras, a transnational group that organized the caravan, told reporters gathered at El Chaparral that the migrants would remain at the gate, overnight if necessary, until border officials once again had the capacity to process them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\">\u201cWe wish that the United States government were capable of accepting more than a few hundred asylum seekers at any given time, since we can certainly pick up more than a 1,000 people in an ICE raid on any given day,\u201d he said, referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an arm of the Homeland Security Department.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"StoryBodyCompanionColumn css-1bytduc emamhsk0\">\n<div class=\"css-xk4wzv emamhsk2\">\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\">Meanwhile, the rest of the asylum seekers, their relatives and supporters laid out blankets on a plaza outside the entrance to El Chaparral and prepared for a long, chilly night.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\">When they get a chance to make their case, migrant families that request asylum at the port of entry are likely to be placed on buses to Texas, where they will remain in detention centers for mothers and children. Adult men are likely to be detained in any number of facilities across the country that hold undocumented immigrants.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\"><em class=\"css-2fg4z9 ehxkw330\">[<\/em><a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/04\/04\/us\/politics\/caravan-conservative-media-immigration.html?action=click&amp;module=Intentional&amp;pgtype=Article\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em class=\"css-2fg4z9 ehxkw330\">\u2018You Hate America!\u2019: How the Caravan Story Exploded on the Right<\/em><\/a><em class=\"css-2fg4z9 ehxkw330\">]<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\">It is in these facilities that the migrants would be screened by United States immigration officials over the next several days. If they pass the credible-fear interview, the migrants will be allowed to make their case for asylum before an immigration judge, a process that unfolds over several months or longer<strong class=\"css-8qgvsz euv7paa0\">.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\">Migrants, typically fitted with ankle monitors, often are allowed to travel to the interior of the country, where they stay with relatives or friends while their cases run their course.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\">Mr. Trump, however, has denounced that practice because some migrants have skipped their court hearings; he dismissed it as \u201ccatch and release.\u201d In recent months, migrant advocates say, the Trump administration has kept many migrants seeking asylum in detention.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\">For all the high political stakes, the human stakes for the individual migrants planning to seek asylum Sunday were at least as high.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\">Byron Claros, a Salvadoran immigrant, joined the caravan with his 18-year-old brother, Luis Alexander Rodriguez, and their stepfather, Andres Rodr\u00edguez.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"StoryBodyCompanionColumn css-1bytduc emamhsk0\">\n<div class=\"css-xk4wzv emamhsk2\">\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\">Mr. Claros and Mr. Rodriguez planned to petition for asylum Sunday afternoon; their stepfather, after consultation with volunteer lawyers in Tijuana, decided that his case for sanctuary was not strong enough and that he would remain behind in Mexico.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\">\u201cThe hour I\u2019ve waited for my entire life has finally arrived,\u201d Mr. Claros said early Sunday afternoon as he, hundreds of migrants, scores of their supporters, reporters and cameramen gathered in and in front of a community center and cafe in the downtown district of Tijuana, blocks from the border crossing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\">Mr. Rodriguez said he was nervous, \u201cbecause the United States can support our rights but can also deny us our rights.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\">Still, he said, there was only one way to push: north.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1cy1v93 e2kc3sl0\">\u201cWe\u2019ve fought too much to get here,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd we\u2019re here.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-15v9f0h emamhsk1\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bottom-of-article\">\n<div class=\"Addendum-addendums--1F9r3 Addendum-news--if0h7\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"ExtendedInformation-extendedInformation--3og6I ExtendedInformation-news--2QoWo\">\n<p>Kirk Semple reported from Tijuana and Miriam Jordan from Los Angeles.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By\u00a0Kirk Semple\u00a0and\u00a0Miriam Jordan April 29, 2018 TIJUANA, Mexico \u2014 A long, grueling journey gave way to what could be a long, uncertain asylum process Sunday as a caravan of immigrants finally reached the border between the United States and Mexico, setting up a dramatic moment and a test of President Trump\u2019s anti-immigrant politics. More than 150 migrants, part of a&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/theamericasblog\/2018\/05\/11\/migrant-caravan-of-asylum-seekers-reaches-u-s-border\/\">Read more &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":70,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1689","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/theamericasblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1689","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/theamericasblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/theamericasblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/theamericasblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/70"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/theamericasblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1689"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/theamericasblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1689\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1690,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/theamericasblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1689\/revisions\/1690"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/theamericasblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1689"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/theamericasblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1689"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/theamericasblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1689"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}