Dozens of Guatemalans detained near Ascarate tell ABC-7 they are looking for jobs
A group of about 60 Guatemalan migrants turned themselves in to U.S. Border Patrol agents at the U.S.-Mexico border near Ascarate Park.
ABC-7’s Saul Saenz asked the migrants why they did not turn themselves in at a port of entry, and a member of the group said they were lost and did not know where to turn themselves in.
The migrants were loaded into Border Patrol vehicles at the border, just south of the Border Highway.
When asked if they were seeking asylum, the migrants told Saul Saenz they were looking for jobs.
This could hurt the migrant’s chances of remaining in the U.S. ABC-7 spoke with an immigration attorney who says the group, for a variety of reasons, will likely be headed back home on the next charter plane to their country of origin, primarily Guatemala.
President Trump issued an executive order last week stating all migrants seeking asylum must make the request at a U.S. port of entry. Trump has also said “asylum is not a program for those living in poverty.”
Prior to the detention of the group of about 60 Guatemalans, an ABC-7 photographer at the scene saw another Border Patrol vehicle leaving with what appeared to be another group of migrants. It is unclear if that group was also from Guatemala.
