‘Caravan Migrants’ to Regroup in Tijuana Before Crossing, Says Organizer

Busloads of “caravan migrants” arrived in Tijuana on Tuesday evening. An organizer says they plan to “regroup” before making a decision on when, if, or where to cross the U.S. border.

Pueblo Sin Fronteras coordinator Rodrigo Abeja told Reuters that the migrants “will wait for all those seeking asylum to be together.” Once as many as 1,500 migrants, the caravan appears to have dwindled to about 600, the news organization reported.

Two busloads of “caravan migrants” arrived in Tijuana Tuesday evening. The passengers included men, women, and children. After arriving, the passengers were let loose onto the streets of the murder-ridden city. This month alone, nearly 150 people were murdered there, Breitbart Texas’ Robert Arce reported. Nearly 700 people are reported to have been killed since January 1.

Another four busloads are said to be making their way north from Hermosillo, about 430 miles from Tijuana. Parts of the caravan stalled there as migrants discussed what to do about American statements promising they will be denied entry to the U.S.

President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security to repel the asylum seekers from the border.

The president then tweeted a message to Mexican officials urging them to stop people from navigating freely through their country to the U.S. He threatened to make this a condition of a new NAFTA agreement.

DHS Secretary Kirstjen M. Nielsen said her department would “fast track any caravan asylum cases”:

DHS continues to monitor the remnants of the ‘caravan’ of individuals headed to our Southern border with the apparent intention of entering the United States illegally. A sovereign nation that cannot – or worse, chooses not – to defend its borders will soon cease to be a sovereign nation. The Trump Administration is committed to enforcing our immigration laws – whether persons are part of this ‘caravan’ or not.

If members of the ‘caravan’ enter the country illegally, they will be referred for prosecution for illegal entry in accordance with existing law. For those seeking asylum, all individuals may be detained while their claims are adjudicated efficiently and expeditiously, and those found not to have a claim will be promptly removed from the United States.

A Mexican official who oversees migrant affairs in the state of Baja California told the Desert Sun that his group met with the “caravan migrants” to provide humanitarian assistance and health services. He told the reporter he expects three or four more busloads to arrive in his city on Wednesday.

About 50 of the 130 people who arrived on Tuesday were suffering from respiratory infections, diarrhea, and other medical issues, a health official told the news outlet.

Tristan Call, a volunteer with Pueblo Sin Fronteras, acknowledged the dangers faced by migrants along their journey. He said his group provided security for the people who stayed together.

“We have prevented 10, 20, 100 kidnappings with this caravan,” Call said in Spanish. “We don’t know how many and we don’t want to know how many.”

Border Patrol officials told Breitbart Texas on Tuesday that they have yet to see any illegal border crossings from the caravan in the San Diego, Tucson, and Yuma Sectors.