Central American Migrants In Caravan Seeking Asylum In U.S.

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — The first group of Central American migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. is being processed.

This comes after they made the 3,000-mile journey across Mexico as a part of a caravan. Roughly two-dozen people were allowed into the country by U.S. border inspectors.

Most of the group traveled from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. And while few have made it into the U.S., about 140 are still hoping to get in.

For those on the Mexico side, seeing some enter the U.S. was reason enough to celebrate. So far, more than two dozen members of this group have trickled into U.S customs for processing, including the first, Gabriella Hernandez from Honduras, a mother of two, with another on the way.

"I feel we have rights as well, to be able to go forward," she said.

She says she had no choice but to leave to protect her family from gang violence and wants a better life in the U.S.

The process could take months, and an immigration judge will have the final say.

In the first year of the Trump Administration, more than 26,000 people were granted asylum, which includes 1,300 from China and 841 from Egypt. That's an increase of 27 percent from 2016, the last year under the Obama Administration.

Some 31,000 from Central American countries sought asylum in 2017. But about 70 percent were denied.

The caravan hasn't been without controversy. The Justice Department charged 11 people with crossing the border illegally. Officials say 10 of them come from countries associated with the caravan.

Group organizers say the justice department is trying to criminalize their efforts.

"Nobody on the organizing team or the legal team of this caravan has ever encouraged anyone to cross illegally," said Alex Mensing with Pueblas Sin Frontera.

Locally, members of the Sacramento Immigration Coalition have been collecting items for people in the caravan. Now, they're working to figure out the best place to send those items.