Eight Syrian refugees turned themselves in to immigration authorities along the US-Mexico border this week, officials said Thursday, and their chances of being allowed to stay are unclear due to political upheaval in the wake of the Paris attacks.
The Department of Homeland Security said Thursday that two families – two men, two women and four children – presented themselves Tuesday in Laredo and are being held by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
It’s not uncommon for Syrians and others from the Middle East to seek asylum in the US through various routes, often flying first to Mexico.
However, the detention of the Syrians in Texas comes at a time of heightened national security concern from several governors who oppose a federal plan to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees in the wake of the Paris attacks.
The US House of Representatives on Thursday passed a bill adding barriers to Syrian and Iraqi refugees seeking to enter the United States.
Texas governor Greg Abbott – one of dozens of American governors who have sought to keep Syrian refugees from entering their states – tweeted: “THIS is why Texas is vigilant about Syrian refugees.”
The news of the families’ detentions was first reported on Wednesday by Breitbart News, a conservative website, and confirmed by the DHS on Thursday.
Donald Trump, the leading Republican presidential candidate, said the incident shows the need for his planned wall between the US and Mexico, a key tenet of his immigration plan.
Eight Syrians were just caught on the southern border trying to get into the U.S. ISIS maybe? I told you so. WE NEED A BIG & BEAUTIFUL WALL!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 19, 2015
Between 2004 and 2013, some 1,449 Syrians were granted asylum in the United States, most in 2012 and 2013, and were not part of the 70,000 refugees from around the world that the U.S. accepts annually. Only 9 Syrians were deported in 2014.
For years, people have attempted to cross into the United States by way of the Mexican border. More than 145,000 people from countries other than Mexico were apprehended at the US-Mexico border during the 2015 budget year that ended September 30, though the overwhelming majority was from Central America.
Making the trip from a place like Syria can be both costly and difficult, but immigrants from countries other than Mexico or Canada cannot be quickly repatriated and are often detained for at least a few days after crossing. Plus, asylum seekers who pass the initial credible fear interview, the first step in the asylum process, are often released from custody to await a court hearing. Currently, a backlog of more than 450,000 cases is pending in federal immigration courts.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
