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Caravan Hits US-Mexico Border, Members Immediately Start Climbing Fence

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The first wave of the Central American migrant caravan has arrived in Tijuana, Mexico, and participants were seen scaling the U.S.-Mexico border fence on Tuesday.

San Diego’s KSWB-TV reported several people scaled and sat on top of the fence dividing San Diego’s International Friendship Park from Tijuana.

Others crawled through openings in the fence onto U.S. soil before quickly returning as Border Patrol agents approached.

The Border Patrol released a statement saying some of those at the fence are members of the migrant caravan, The Washington Examiner reported.

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U.S. Customs and Border Protection also released a statement on Monday indicating it would be closing lanes at two ports of entry in San Diego to “pre-position port hardening infrastructure equipment in preparation for the migrant caravan and the potential safety and security risk that it could cause.”

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“CBP has been and will continue to prepare for the potential arrival of thousands of people migrating in a caravan heading towards the border of the United States,” said Pete Flores, director of CBP’s field operations in San Diego. “These preparations include training exercises, deploying additional CBP personnel, and partnering with the U.S. military to harden our ports of entry and the border area between those legal crossings into the U.S.”

The move is no doubt in response to how the caravan pushed through barriers and Mexican law enforcement personnel at the Mexico-Guatemala border last month, when the caravan was denied entry.



KSWB reported that 1,300 U.S. Marines in California will be assisting Border Patrol officers in strengthening the border as part of “Operation Secure Line.”

“(T)roops are tasked with tightening security, including installing barbed wire along the wall to make it more difficult to cross. Troops will also be providing medical support, military police and air support,” according to the news outlet.

“Anybody that jumps the border fence or crosses between the ports of entry will be arrested and they will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. That includes this group,” U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott said.

At San Diego’s San Ysidro port of entry, more than 100,000 people cross the border legally every day.

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Scott told KSWB last week the detention facility to process undocumented migrants at San Ysidro holds 300 people and is at capacity.

“Mexico has already offered asylum to these individuals,” he said of the caravan. “Your asylum claim here, unless it’s fear from Mexico, is not going to probably go well.”

On Friday, President Donald Trump issued an executive order requiring any asylum seekers to come through a port of entry.

Regarding the migrants, Flores said, “We will not deny access to the ports of entry, but we may ask undocumented persons to wait until we have the capacity to process them.”

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Randy DeSoto has written more than 2,000 articles for The Western Journal since he joined the company in 2015. He is a graduate of West Point and Regent University School of Law. He is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths" and screenwriter of the political documentary "I Want Your Money."
Randy DeSoto is the senior staff writer for The Western Journal. He wrote and was the assistant producer of the documentary film "I Want Your Money" about the perils of Big Government, comparing the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama. Randy is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths," which addresses how leaders have appealed to beliefs found in the Declaration of Independence at defining moments in our nation's history. He has been published in several political sites and newspapers.

Randy graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a BS in political science and Regent University School of Law with a juris doctorate.
Birthplace
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Nationality
American
Honors/Awards
Graduated dean's list from West Point
Education
United States Military Academy at West Point, Regent University School of Law
Books Written
We Hold These Truths
Professional Memberships
Virginia and Pennsylvania state bars
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Entertainment, Faith




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