First women, children from Central American 'caravan' enter U.S. seeking asylum

By Delphine Schrank

 

A man and his son, members of a caravan of migrants from Central America, react near the San Ysidro checkpoint as the first fellow migrants entered U.S. territory to seek asylum on Monday, in Tijuana, Mexico April 30, 2018. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

 

TIJUANA, Mexico (Reuters) - Eight women and children from a Central American caravan entered U.S. territory to seek asylum on Monday, after a month-long journey through Mexico that drew President Donald Trump's wrath.

 

Carrying scant possessions with them, the asylum seekers walked through a door into the San Ysidro port of entry on the bidding of a Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officer, a Reuters witness said, hours after Vice President Mike Pence promised they would be processed in line with U.S. law.

 

The first to enter were part of a small group from the caravan who Mexican officials let walk over a pedestrian bridge on Sunday and who have been camped at the San Ysidro gate ever since, when the CBP said the facility between Tijuana and San Diego was saturated.

 

Fleeing what they say are death threats, extortion and violence in neighborhoods controlled by the powerful Mara street gangs, once in the United States the migrants must convince officials they have reason to fear returning home.

 

The majority of claims by Central American asylum seekers are ultimately unsuccessful, resulting in detention and deportation. The Trump administration says many asylum claims are fake, aided by loopholes in the law.

 

Shaken and elated by the sudden turn of events, the remaining 15 women and children at the gate waited to see if the officer returned to let more through. Ayde Hernandez, from Guatemala, beamed and said she hoped she was next to go through.

 

The caravan has been in the spotlight ever since it began a more than 2,000-mile (3,200 km) journey from southern Mexico, gathering 1,500 people at one point, to the fury of Trump, who demanded that officials do not let such groups into the country.

 

His administration's hands are tied, however, by international rules obliging the United States to accept asylum applications.

By the time it reached the U.S. border the caravan had dwindled to a few hundred people.

 

Asylum seekers must demonstrate a well-founded fear of persecution at home, most often from a state entity. Central Americans fare badly in such claims, because threats from criminal groups are not considered state entities.

 

A larger group of about 150 people has not been let onto the pedestrian crossing and was preparing for a second night sleeping in an open plaza on the Mexican side. Hoping they will also be let through to make their case, members of the group raised fists and cheered in celebration when they heard some of their companions had crossed.

 

(Reporting by Delphine Schrank; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel, Cynthia Osterman & Shri Navaratnam)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-05-01

A post in a foreign language has been removed.   Only English is allowed.  

A troll post has been removed. 

 Seeking Asylum in the first safe Country must be -    Mexico   -   Viva   Mexico.  

 

USA takes in over hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants a year. 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/01/25/mapped-many-immigrants-does-america-get-do-actually-come/

Edited May 1, 20188 yr by riclag

'Seeking asylum' should be in inverted commas.

Edited May 1, 20188 yr by CharlesSwann

3 hours ago, riclag said:

 Seeking Asylum in the first safe Country must be -    Mexico   -   Viva   Mexico.  

 

USA takes in over hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants a year. 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/01/25/mapped-many-immigrants-does-america-get-do-actually-come/

Except I seem to recall that the Trumpeters basic case for their "beautiful wall" is that Mexico is far from being a safe place, full of people who are so dangerous that they must be kept out of the USA...

A truly "great" America would review each of these asylum cases on an individual base and make the rulings based on common decency and the rule of law.

 

"trump" doesn't want that. That's about as un-American a thing as I can imagine. 

 

I'm not saying take all comers or have open borders. Of course not! I am saying process asylum seekers in a humane way. Many will still be rejected but they all deserve a fair hearing. 

Edited May 1, 20188 yr by Jingthing

I have no problems with these folks walking into the Boarder Patrol offices and applying for asylum.  Kudos.  They're doing it right.
However, those that climbed the fence and entered illegally.  Deport them.

Edited May 1, 20188 yr by connda

2 hours ago, JAG said:

Except I seem to recall that the Trumpeters basic case for their "beautiful wall" is that Mexico is far from being a safe place, full of people who are so dangerous that they must be kept out of the USA...

Agreed, that some people in all countries have bad apples,it is those law breaking individuals that want to by-pass coming in legal and slights those who have to wait in line for years, that gives justification to a wall . Mexico is claiming to be a wonderful country with many good things to offer, it should be the country of choice for Asylum seekers, seeing it is the first country of entry !USA takes in hundreds of thousands of legal Imms, every year,not even counting the I Aliens 

Edited May 1, 20188 yr by riclag

So far not a single person from the caravans has entered the US illegally.

No rapists or drugged crazy cartel mules have invaded the US border entries.

That's not going to make the faux news people very happy. A new narrative will have to be created.

Maybe in a fit Trump will declare the southern border closed.

For many of these people there is a reason why they are at the US border and not making an application anywhere else:

 

Trump Left Nearly 4,000 Applicants For Central American Refugee Program Stranded

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s decision to end a program that helped Central Americans legally residing in the U.S. bring their children here left 3,800 people, mostly kids, who were already being processed for admittance stranded in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras ― three of the countries with the highest murder rates in the world.

The Trump administration quit conducting interviews for the Central American Minors program at the end of January, as part of its broader efforts to cut the number of refugees admitted into the U.S., but the number of people affected hasn’t previously attracted widespread attention. Nearly 4,000 people were still in the pipeline when the program ended and did not receive interviews, a Department of Homeland Security official confirmed.

 

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-left-nearly-4-000-185226798.html

 

I think this from the director of the program sums it rather nicely, “Usually the U.S. likes to keep our word,” Smyers said. “Usually we like to have a program that people can have faith in, especially when that program is to provide protection to children and individuals who are vulnerable.”

 

Programs such as that one are generally phased out.   They are not abruptly ended and ending creates a crisis of confidence in the US.  It will likely result in more people attempting the dangerous journey to the border and the much greater expense of dealing with asylum seekers once they reach the US.

 

5 hours ago, Jingthing said:

A truly "great" America would review each of these asylum cases on an individual base and make the rulings based on common decency and the rule of law.

 

"trump" doesn't want that. That's about as un-American a thing as I can imagine. 

 

I'm not saying take all comers or have open borders. Of course not! I am saying process asylum seekers in a humane way. Many will still be rejected but they all deserve a fair hearing. 

A truly "great" American will review each of these cases just like you want. They will be represented by free lawyers and of those rejected most will unfortunately get lost in the woodwork and remain in the USA illegally.  The lefties will want amnesty for them and their children in 10 years. If they fled in fear but made it to Mexico, that should have been the place of safety not the USA.  This is all a sponsored publicity stunt.  I would have turned the fire hoses on them and closed the border with Mexico, if it were possible to do so.

 

I, unfortunately, can predict the future for the USA.  There will come a day when the USA will be so full of immigrants from different nationalities speaking so many languages who don't assimilate and most of whom will be on the lower socio economic scale, that the tax dollar won't go far enough to take care of them.  Then the problems will really begin. Fortunately, I'll be gone.  Don't know where you live, but suggest some of you liberals come to Los Angeles or another large city and see the effects of too much immigration too fast.  There are excellent examples of the various classes in society, now alive and well in all the big cities in the USA.

3 minutes ago, Trouble said:

A truly "great" American will review each of these cases just like you want. They will be represented by free lawyers and of those rejected most will unfortunately get lost in the woodwork and remain in the USA illegally.  The lefties will want amnesty for them and their children in 10 years. If they fled in fear but made it to Mexico, that should have been the place of safety not the USA.  This is all a sponsored publicity stunt.  I would have turned the fire hoses on them and closed the border with Mexico, if it were possible to do so.

 

I, unfortunately, can predict the future for the USA.  There will come a day when the USA will be so full of immigrants from different nationalities speaking so many languages who don't assimilate and most of whom will be on the lower socio economic scale, that the tax dollar won't go far enough to take care of them.  Then the problems will really begin. Fortunately, I'll be gone.  Don't know where you live, but suggest some of you liberals come to Los Angeles or another large city and see the effects of too much immigration too fast.  There are excellent examples of the various classes in society, now alive and well in all the big cities in the USA.

Oh, you mean like it has almost always been, with people from all over, speaking many languages and being mostly poor?   But they do assimilate.   

 

 

sorry, but most of this is a gross abuse of asylum.  Asylum was meant for religious or lifestyle, or political persecution. 

2 hours ago, gk10002000 said:

sorry, but most of this is a gross abuse of asylum.  Asylum was meant for religious or lifestyle, or political persecution. 

Which is the basis on which they will be screened.   Here is the convention to which the US is a signatory:

 

"A person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it..

 

 

5 hours ago, Scott said:

For many of these people there is a reason why they are at the US border and not making an application anywhere else:

 

Trump Left Nearly 4,000 Applicants For Central American Refugee Program Stranded

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s decision to end a program that helped Central Americans legally residing in the U.S. bring their children here left 3,800 people, mostly kids, who were already being processed for admittance stranded in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras ― three of the countries with the highest murder rates in the world.

The Trump administration quit conducting interviews for the Central American Minors program at the end of January, as part of its broader efforts to cut the number of refugees admitted into the U.S., but the number of people affected hasn’t previously attracted widespread attention. Nearly 4,000 people were still in the pipeline when the program ended and did not receive interviews, a Department of Homeland Security official confirmed.

 

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-left-nearly-4-000-185226798.html

 

I think this from the director of the program sums it rather nicely, “Usually the U.S. likes to keep our word,” Smyers said. “Usually we like to have a program that people can have faith in, especially when that program is to provide protection to children and individuals who are vulnerable.”

 

Programs such as that one are generally phased out.   They are not abruptly ended and ending creates a crisis of confidence in the US.  It will likely result in more people attempting the dangerous journey to the border and the much greater expense of dealing with asylum seekers once they reach the US.

 

The Central American Minors program  was formed in 2014 by the past administration. President Trump campaigned(2015-2016) on reducing overall immigration levels.After the election of President Trump, the Obama Administration "beginning Nov. 15, 2016, DOS accepted applications requesting access to the program for these (additional eligible family members" see the source). 

Finally, "As of August 2017, USCIS will no longer automatically consider parole requests from individuals in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras denied refugee status under the CAM Parole program".

" On Nov. 9, 2017, the Department of State stopped accepting new applications for the Central American Minors CAM) refugee program".

https://www.uscis.gov/CAM

A report  in October of 2017 was submitted to Congress by the  President, Proposed Refugee Admissions for fiscal year 2018.This report prompted the cancellation of accepting new apps and requests.

"backlog has increased from approximately 15,000 at the end of FY2012 to approximately 275,000 at the end of the 3rd quarter of FY2017, and will surpass 300,000 cases early in FY2018".

https://www.state.gov/j/prm/releases/docsforcongress/274613.htm#_ftn2

 

In the Yahoo article it mentions that these CAM refugees nearly 4000 where still in the pipeline. but the interviews were cancelled. "There’s no guarantee that the people whose applications were scrapped would have eventually been granted protections, but it was highly unusual to not even continue considering them, said Jen Smyers, who leads policy and advocacy on immigration and refugees at Church World Service, a faith-based organization involved in refugee resettlement".

 

Maybe Jen Smyers should of read the PRA report (10-17)of  the 300k backlog, to understand why they weren't being considered and that the USA has no guaranties on applications for interviews.  It only mentions one case where someone had applied in Feb 2016,but it doesn't say anything about when other parents applied after leaving their children in their prospective country.

Why would parents leave their children behind in their countries with the highest murder rates in the first place? Why wouldn't the entire family go to seek safety first in another country before applying for CAM.

I'm very concerned that hundreds of thousands will be coming from these and other countries to seek asylum prompted by these advocacy groups who encourage these aliens  to come to the bread basket in North America.Old Age Social Security will definitely expire or be cut sooner than expected.

What are the benefits of asylum?

"An asylee, or a person granted asylum, is authorized to work in the United States, may apply for a social security card, may request permission to travel overseas, and can petition to bring family members to the United States. Asylees may also be eligible for federal or Office of Refugee Resettlement benefits, such as Medicaid or Refugee Medical Assistance.

After one year, an asylee may apply for lawful permanent resident status (i.e., a green card)". 

https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/asylum-united-states

 

Office of Refugee Resettlement benefits

Social security insurance money(SSI), Social services, Medical and much more.

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/orr/orr_fact_sheet_benefits_at_a_glance.pdf

They get better benefits than the 500k of homeless in the USA

 

 

 

Edited May 1, 20188 yr by riclag

25 minutes ago, riclag said:

The Central American Minors program  was formed in 2014 by the past administration. President Trump campaigned(2015-2016) on reducing overall immigration levels.After the election of President Trump, the Obama Administration "beginning Nov. 15, 2016, DOS accepted applications requesting access to the program for these (additional eligible family members" see the source). 

Finally, "As of August 2017, USCIS will no longer automatically consider parole requests from individuals in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras denied refugee status under the CAM Parole program".

" On Nov. 9, 2017, the Department of State stopped accepting new applications for the Central American Minors CAM) refugee program".

https://www.uscis.gov/CAM

A report  in October of 2017 was submitted to Congress by the  President, Proposed Refugee Admissions for fiscal year 2018.This report prompted the cancellation of accepting new apps and requests.

"backlog has increased from approximately 15,000 at the end of FY2012 to approximately 275,000 at the end of the 3rd quarter of FY2017, and will surpass 300,000 cases early in FY2018".

https://www.state.gov/j/prm/releases/docsforcongress/274613.htm#_ftn2

 

In the Yahoo article it mentions that these CAM refugees nearly 4000 where still in the pipeline. but the interviews were cancelled. "There’s no guarantee that the people whose applications were scrapped would have eventually been granted protections, but it was highly unusual to not even continue considering them, said Jen Smyers, who leads policy and advocacy on immigration and refugees at Church World Service, a faith-based organization involved in refugee resettlement".

 

Maybe Jen Smyers should of read the PRA report (10-17)of  the 300k backlog, to understand why they weren't being considered and that the USA has no guaranties on applications for interviews.  It only mentions one case where someone had applied in Feb 2016,but it doesn't say anything about when other parents applied after leaving their children in their prospective country.

Why would parents leave their children behind in their countries with the highest murder rates in the first place? Why wouldn't the entire family go to seek safety first in another country before applying for CAM.

I'm very concerned that hundreds of thousands will be coming from these and other countries to seek asylum prompted by these advocacy groups who encourage these aliens  to come to the bread basket in North America.Old Age Social Security will definitely expire or be cut sooner than expected.

What are the benefits of asylum?

"An asylee, or a person granted asylum, is authorized to work in the United States, may apply for a social security card, may request permission to travel overseas, and can petition to bring family members to the United States. Asylees may also be eligible for federal or Office of Refugee Resettlement benefits, such as Medicaid or Refugee Medical Assistance.

After one year, an asylee may apply for lawful permanent resident status (i.e., a green card). Once the individual becomes a permanent resident, he or she must wait four years to apply for citizenship".

https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/asylum-united-states

 

Office of Refugee Resettlement benefits

Social security insurance money(SSI), Social services, Medical and much more.

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/orr/orr_fact_sheet_benefits_at_a_glance.pdf

They get better benefits than the 500k of homeless in the USA

 

It's apparent that you do not know how refugee resettlement programs abroad work.   The total number of applicants -- the 300,000 you sited, will likely have a rejection rate of 95-99%.   Applying is a little like buying a lottery ticket.  

 

I worked for the US refugee resettlement program for Vietnamese Refugees (ODP).   On file were well over 1,000,000 applicants.   They were interviewed at the rate of maybe a few hundred a month.  Applications were first screened on paper to assure that they were actually eligible, that took anywhere from 1,000 - 2,000 out of the mix instantaneously.   From there, they were interviewed by when they filed with some groups jumping the queue, such as parents of an unaccompanied minor child already in the US.  

 

Of those that made it to an interview, it was on them to prove the merits of their case and that meant showing the proper paperwork -- showing years in the South Vietnamese Military, time spent in re-education camps (minimum of 3 years, which was later raised to 10 years), removal of basic liberties, such as the right for their children to attend school, confiscation of property and household registration.   Verification was required.

 

Public Interest Parole (PIP) was granted to all the members of a household.  That meant that if screened in as refugees, then the entire household was granted it and allowed to resettle.   It did not and does not extend to adult children or other relatives.   It simply streamlined the process since those in the household would invariably be considered as refugees.   I suspect the same procedure is being used with those in Central America.

 

Even if someone was a refugee, they were NOT admitted to the US as such if they had a relative in the US who could sponsor them as a regular immigrant.   If that was the case, then the relative in the US was required to file a petition and they had to be admitted the same as any other immigrant.   Oh, and those entering as immigrants, which over time, increased greatly, were not given any refugee resettlement benefits or access to public programs.  

 

So pick whichever number you want from the list and the number who will actually be admitted will be significantly smaller.   In every refugee program I worked with, and that was in many different countries, the rejection rate was always over 60% and in many instances around 90%.  

 

Of the 4,000 in the pipeline, a liberal estimate would be that 60% would meet the basic requirement.   That would be 2,400.   Of those, at least another 10% will not, for one reason or another not go.    They may not pass the medical (tuberculosis and other infections disease, some mental conditions), others will not go because of a change in their life-circumstances (newly married -- and no the spouse doesn't get to go) etc.

 

As to why parents would leave their children in the country is a judgment call.   Sometimes fleeing doesn't permit the old, the young, the weak, the sick to accompany them.   Why do many people move to Thailand and leave their family in the home country?

 

The point is that regardless of how many people apply and how staggering the numbers may appear, they will not all be eligible and they will not be admitted.   They also will be fully vetted and all have thorough physical exams before being admitted.   Showing up on US soil does not allow for that.

 

In my previous work, when Congress decided to scrap the Public Interest Parole, they gave us approximately 3 months notice.   The total people on file was in the neighborhood of 250,000 cases.   It took a lot of doing, but with even the old computer system, a huge number of people were eliminated from the rolls.   First those who had an immigrant petition on file for example.   A notice was sent to anyone sponsoring anyone that the program would end.   The number was widdled down to a manageable number and interviews commenced.   There was no increase in the number who would be admitted, just a movement of who got interviewed first.   Interestingly enough, many didn't bother to come to the interview and many decided not to go because in the ensuing years, things for them had changed.     The point is, notice of the termination was given.  

 

As far as the benefits given, again, if they can be admitted as an immigrant they MUST enter as an immigrant.   That means no benefit, so of those coming it's up to existing family to support them.   Those that have no means of support are given Refugee Resettlement funds, but it is very time limited.   When a large number of Kurds were admitted (10,000) under Operation Quick Transit, they received assistance for 3 months only.   There are in place in the US numerous NGO's, most run through Churches, which help with resettlement including finding jobs.   The same limitations were set on medical care.  

 

There are some exceptions to the assistance given, but they are only given in extraordinary, humanitarian circumstances.   One example was a child whose parents died on the way to the US.   The child was placed in foster care upon arrival and there would have been no time limit to assistance for the child (until 18).

 

By scraping the programs in Central America, you have the situation of people showing up on the border, or entering illegally (and many do that by air) and claiming asylum.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

As someone who did business in many cities on the West Coast of the U.S. for many years, I say thank God for immigrants. If it hadn't been for immigrants, the companies I did business with would not have been able to provide workers as non immigrants wouldn't take the work and this was union labor. All of them either assimilated or strive to assimilate. My ancestors came to the U.S. speaking many different languages and eventually assimilated as will those entering the U.S. now.  We can strengthen the border as well as have a fair and streamlined worker entry program which can lead to citizenship if the politicians would get off their soapboxes and work together to make it happen. 

6 hours ago, Scott said:

Which is the basis on which they will be screened.   Here is the convention to which the US is a signatory:

 

"A person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it..

 

 

Yeah.  And by the numbers, how many people from the USA seek asylum in Mexico?

36 minutes ago, gk10002000 said:

Yeah.  And by the numbers, how many people from the USA seek asylum in Mexico?

I don't know, but in the 60's there were many thousands that did so in Canada.  

 

 

The USA and Canada already have enough people living illegally in each country.  These new freeloaders should all be sent back home.

Geezer

2 hours ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

The USA and Canada already have enough people living illegally in each country.  These new freeloaders should all be sent back home.

Geezer

Asylum seekers are not illegal.   Seeking asylum is legal and it is a legal process.  

3 hours ago, Scott said:

Asylum seekers are not illegal.   Seeking asylum is legal and it is a legal process.  

Not when you're playing the pick and choose game with which country you want to claim asylum in.

18 minutes ago, sukhumvitneon said:

Not when you're playing the pick and choose game with which country you want to claim asylum in.

If that's the case, why did Immigration accept some applications for it? Because ICE under Trump is just an old softie?

On 01/05/2018 at 6:36 PM, connda said:

I have no problems with these folks walking into the Boarder Patrol offices and applying for asylum.  Kudos.  They're doing it right.
However, those that climbed the fence and entered illegally.  Deport them.

Basically my view too. 

 

That the US can’t even cobble together a basic migrant worker permit system like Thailand boggles the mind.

 

if Thailand can figure it out, so should the US. 

3 hours ago, sukhumvitneon said:

Not when you're playing the pick and choose game with which country you want to claim asylum in.

To which US law are you referring?