For weeks, the flow of asylum-seekers being allowed into the US at the San Ysidro Port of Entry for processing was reduced to a near-standstill. The Department of Homeland Security is now giving conflicting messages whether this slowdown has led to asylum-seekers trying to enter the US illegally.
Testifying in front of Congress on Thursday, acting Department of Homeland Secretary Kevin McAleenan said the “metering” system, which limits the processing of asylum-seekers at ports of entry, didn’t cause people to try to cross illegally.
Washington D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton asked McAleenan whether the “metering” policy was making the situation worse along the border.
“I take it you agree these policies did exacerbate crowding at CBP facilities?” Norton asked.
“No,” McAleenan responded.
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But a September report from DHS’s own Inspector General said the two-year-old metering policy does, in fact, lead to a rise in the number of illegal entries.
In Tijuana on Thursday morning, twelve people were allowed into the U.S. for processing, after waiting months on an unofficial list overseen by government officials. But almost thirty people’s names were called who weren’t present.
Guerline Josef works with Haitian and African asylum-seekers in Tijuana for the organization Haitian Bridge Alliance. She said many of those people are making the decision to no longer wait months for their names to possibly be called, but are instead crossing the border through a hot desert or a raging river.
“People are trying to find another way to come to the United States. They are putting their lives in danger, as we can see,” Guerline told KPBS.
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A border patrol spokesperson told KPBS that no one is being denied the opportunity to seek asylum, but that DHS does manage the queues of asylum-seekers.
“CBP processes undocumented persons as expeditiously as possible without negating the agency's overall mission, or compromising the safety of individuals within our custody,” the spokesperson said. “The number of inadmissible individuals CBP is able to process varies based upon case complexity; available resources; medical needs; translation requirements; holding/detention space; overall port volume; and ongoing enforcement actions.”
What the management of the queue looks like, including how much control and oversight DHS has over the list of asylum-seekers waiting in Mexico in the unofficial book, is still unclear. Each morning, Mexican immigration officials are told by U.S. officials how many people should be brought over for processing.
“The numbering system, the list, it’s the only lifeline for people at the border,” Guerline told KPBS. “Because in order for people to present themselves at the U.S. side, they have to have that number. The numbering process is the only system they really have. To say it’s had no effect on them is beyond belief. It’s beyond understandable. How can they present without a number? There is no other way.”
