Migrant families with young children expelled from El Paso back to Mexico

EL PASO, Texas -- Migrant families, traveling with nothing but the clothes on their back, were expelled into Juarez Monday over the Paso del Norte Bridge.

ABC-7 was on the bridge at 1:30 p.m. Monday when a little more than 60 individuals walked south of the border from El Paso.

All the families had small children with them, none of them looking over the age of 10 years old. Fathers carrying children on their shoulders and some mothers holding hands with their kids.

The National Institution for Migration in Mexico greeted the families, took their temperatures, handed out masks, and provided snacks and water.

A lot of the families were confused. One man from Honduras, who was with his young son, did not know what city he was in. He thought that he was going to see his family in the United States.

While some migrant families like the ones ABC-7 saw Monday are expelled into Mexico, other families are allowed to stay in El Paso shelters.

Customs and Border Protection explained that when capacity in Mexican shelters are full, only some of these migrant families can be expelled. Other families are sent to non-governmental organizations in El Paso, like Annunciation House, with ankle monitors. Once space is freed in Juarez, these families are expelled as well.