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Migrant Caravan Arrives at US Border

<p>The &ldquo&semi;caravan&rdquo&semi; of Central American refugees Trump has warned about in recent weeks is expected to approach the US border on Sunday&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>While many plan to seek legal asylum&comma; several have already entered the country illegally&period; According to San Diego Border Patrol Agent Rodney Scott&comma; multiple groups&nbsp&semi;climbed over a scrap-metal fence near San Ysidro&rsquo&semi;s port of entry on Friday&period; Others&comma; including a pregnant woman and kids under the age of four&comma; were caught sneaking in through a canyon authorities described as dark&comma; dangerous&comma; and &ldquo&semi;notorious for human and drug smuggling&period;&rdquo&semi;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&ldquo&semi;To anyone that is associated with this caravan&comma; think before you act&comma;&rdquo&semi; cautions Scott&period; &ldquo&semi;If anyone has encouraged you to illegally enter the US&comma; or make any false statements to US government officials&comma; they are giving you bad advice and they are placing you and your family at risk&period;&rdquo&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Members of the caravan&nbsp&semi;began arriving by bus last week and have been gathering strength near Tijuana before making a go at the US border&period; The migrants were greeted Sunday morning&nbsp&semi;by hundreds of supporters who waved flags and chanted on the US side of the border&period;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Many of those interested in seeking asylum attended legal orientations on Friday and Saturday to better understand their rights and what to expect when they reach the port of entry&period; At least 20 US attorneys traveled to Tijuana to warn migrants to expect the worst&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&ldquo&semi;We are the bearers of horrible news&comma;&rdquo&semi; says LA lawyer Nora Phillips&period; &ldquo&semi;That&rsquo&semi;s what good attorneys are for&period;&rdquo&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>It is unclear how many migrants will be allowed to ask for asylum&period; In the past&comma; Customs and Border Protection officials have capped the number of asylum requests when large groups show up at the border&period;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>It is also unclear whether children will be separated from their parents&period; US law prohibits ICE from jailing children&comma; but there is no policy that prevents the DHS from jailing parents traveling with children&period;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>President Trump has ordered the DHS to &ldquo&semi;STOP the caravan of illegal immigrants trying to cross our WIDE-OPEN BORDER&rdquo&semi; and has reiterated demands for a border wall&period; Trump earlier this month dispatched thousands of National Guard troops to defend the border&comma; but California&rsquo&semi;s Democratic Mayor&comma; Jerry Brown&comma; has vowed not to let them enforce federal immigration law&period;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>At least 75 Americans in California and other states have expressed interest in opening their homes to one or more migrants&period;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&ldquo&semi;The willingness of these people to house these immigrants reflects that there is a division in the US and in California over the appropriate course of immigration policy&comma;&rdquo&semi; says UC Irvine political science professor Louis DeSipio&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Americans&rsquo&semi; divided response to the caravan is &ldquo&semi;100&percnt; about who we want to be as a nation&comma;&rdquo&semi; says Heather Cronk&comma; co-director of Showing Up for Racial Justice&period; &ldquo&semi;Not only are we providing material support&hellip&semi;We offer a counter message&period; We want to make very clear to the folks who are in the caravan and those across the country that Trump&rsquo&semi;s voice is not the only voice in this country&period; Where Trump closes doors&comma; we open them&period;&rdquo&semi;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><strong>Author&&num;8217&semi;s Note&colon;<&sol;strong> This group of people must not be allowed to enter the country&period; The second we let them in&comma; we will have a tent city of thousands of people waiting at the border&period; The situation is awkward for the Trump Administration&comma; but this cannot be the way we choose people for immigration&period;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

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