US President Donald Trump and Mexico’s top immigration officials painted sharply different pictures Tuesday of the large groups of Central American migrants at the border.
But Mexican immigration authorities said Tuesday that many migrants were still waiting at the border for the chance to make their case for asylum in the United States — and that more than 1,000 migrants from the caravan may have crossed into the United States already.
According to data provided by the US Department of Homeland Security, US Customs and Border Protection had apprehended 1,036 caravan migrants as of Monday. And more than 5,000 migrants were waiting to seek asylum in a queue at the San Ysidro port of entry.
These are the latest details on migrants from the caravan, according to Mexican officials:
• 2,500 are in a large temporary shelter run by Mexican immigration officials in Tijuana
• 600 are in other shelters in Tijuana
• 300 are in tents outside a shelter that officials recently closed due to health concerns
• 1,100 “could have crossed into the United States”
• 1,100 voluntarily agreed to return to Central America with assistance from the International Organization for Migration
• About 70% are men
• People ages 18-28 make up the largest group
The new details on the migrants come just over a week into Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s presidency.
