Asylum-seekers who crossed in Arizona returned to Mexico
Mark Henle
Posted: Friday, December 6, 2019 2:22 pm | Updated: 2:45 pm, Fri Dec 6, 2019.
Associated Press |
PHOENIX (AP) — The U.S. government said Friday it had sent nine Venezuelans — including two families — back to Mexico after they tried to make an asylum claim by driving up to a customs officer instead of lingering south of the border on a list waiting to be called up under a Trump administration policy targeting asylum-seekers.
That practice — and that of other desperate asylum-seekers who have run down vehicle lanes at an Arizona port of entry in order to reach the U.S. — severely slowed down traffic over the holiday weekend after Customs and Border Protection sealed off several lanes of traffic.
Advocates say the asylum-seekers forced wait on a list under a Trump policy known as metering are desperate and afraid of waiting in Mexico for months before they're even given a chance to make an asylum claim. Migrants forced to wait in Mexico are often targeted for extortion, kidnapping and robberies.
https://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/texas/asylum-seekers-who-crossed-in-arizona-returned-to-juarez/article_cd8f369b-17db-50a0-b521-73aed0ec8bb6.html
