A group of about 80 LGBTQ migrants who splintered off from the caravan traveling through Mexico toward the United States has made it to Tijuana, according to NPR. They say they plan to enter the United States on Thursday and seek asylum based on their LGBTQ identities and the corresponding threat to them in their home countries.
The ad hoc group was assisted by nongovernmental organizations and given bus tickets to help them get to the border more quickly, NPR reported, while the remainder of the 3,600-strong caravan trails 1,000 miles behind, mostly in Guadalajara. Members of the loosely organized LGBTQ group said they suffered discrimination while traveling with the larger caravan and broke off to avoid further marginalization and to get a jump on entry into the U.S.
U.S. policy now dictates that migrants can apply for asylum only at official ports of entry. There are already long waits for asylum interviews at border crossings, which will likely only increase as migrants are directed toward ports of entry, which could mean the group in Tijuana may have to wait until the end of the year for asylum interviews, NPR reported.
In anticipation of the migrant flows, Customs and Border Protection has started to “harden” the border between San Diego and Tijuana, according to BuzzFeed News. This has meant shutting down roads between the two cities in order to “install wires, barriers, and fencing.” While this is directed at the possible incursion of migrants, it has also meant delays for regular commuters and those who go through the busy border crossing legally.
Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement AdvertisementBuzzFeed also reported that another group “of about 350 people who were at one point part of the main caravan making its way north arrived in Tijuana” on Tuesday.
The other main policy response to the migrant caravan was a large deployment of active duty military to the border, with a large contingent in Texas. The more than 5,000 troops, who are not allowed to engage with migrants directly or apprehend them, have mostly been laying down concertina wire and setting up their own shelters to house them during their deployment, which could end up costing more than $200 million.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen visited the troops in Texas on Wednesday. When Mattis was asked what the goals of the deployment were by one soldier, he responded: “Short term, get the obstacles in. Longer term … it is somewhat to be determined.”
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