Friends,
As
an update, I spoke with officials at the San Ysidro Port of Entry this morning
and learned that they anticipate processing all the Central Americans by the
end of the week. Their ability to process these asylum seekers is dependent on
capacity and the flow of other asylum seekers and in particular Mexican asylum
seekers.
Port
officials estimate that there are asylum seekers from about a dozen countries
in Tijuana right now. This is normal. In this region, we regularly see a
fluctuation of asylum seekers from 10-20 different countries from around the
world in a given week. Over the last several years, we have seen a steady flow
of Mexican asylum seekers, mostly from the states of Guerrero and Michoacán.
Recently the number of Mexican asylum seekers has increased sharply and in the
days prior to the arrival of the Caravan, as many as 200 were approaching the
port daily.
In
other words, when the Caravan of Central Americans arrived, the port was
already at capacity. The number of Mexican asylum seekers is significantly
larger than the Central American group and is continuing to grow. Because the
former are seeking asylum from the country they are in currently, they are
prioritized at the port. Asylum seekers who are from other countries rarely
express fear of being persecuted in Mexico; when they do, they are also
prioritized.
For
those who are currently in CBP custody, it might take a week for them to leave
the port facility and make space for others to be processed in. This is normal
when we have large groups of asylum seekers coming through. Everyone must be
processed in, screened for TB (this always of concern), given credible fear
interview, and assessed for a custody determination. In the best case scenario,
someone clears the health screening, passes the CFI, and is determined to be
releasable to a sponsor. In that instance, it still might take a couple of days
for the sponsor to provide the necessary documents, come to pick up the
detainee, or arrange for travel for the detainee. Until that happens, the port
cannot process more people in.
Those
who are less fortunate will be detained either for deportation or for asylum
proceedings in the courts. They might move more quickly out of CBP custody
unless they are family units. We do not have, nor do we want, family detention
facilities in the area. Families who will be detained pending deportation or
court proceedings will be moved out of the region to another part of the
country.
As
the Central Americans (and their advocates) voice their desire to be processed
in immediately, we must remember that there are many more asylum seekers from
other countries and there will continue to be once the Central Americans have
moved through the system.
We
are fortunate to have a compassionate and dedicated network of service
providers on both sides of the border to help asylum seekers every day of the
year. They are the experts and are in the best position to alert us when agents
are mistreating asylum seekers or acting outside the norm.
Andrea Guerrero, Esq.
Executive Director
Alliance San Diego
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