USA: 'Tent courts' along Texas' Southern border start receiving asylum applications

W/S 'Tent courts' set up in Laredo
M/S 'Tent courts' set up
W/S 'Tent courts' set up
SOT, Henry Cuellar, Texan Democrat US Congressman: ''We are here today as you know, today was really the first day for the migrant protection protocol, which is basically allowed under the law, section 235 of the immigration code that allows the federal government to, if somebody is going to ask for asylum, they are going to get them, have them wait in a contiguous country which is in this case Mexico, wait for their asylum hearing. Right now over the whole US border, the Southern border, there is about a little bit over 31,000 people that have been under this migrant protection protocol, that is, they returned to Mexico and wait there for their hearing. In Loredo, in this area, it's about 8,300. We're seeing that about 50 percent of those people actually don't come back for their asylum hearing, especially the Central Americans. The Central Americans are saying 'Wait? You mean I can't stay here and wait 2,3,4 years before I get a hearing, I have to wait in Mexico? Then we're just going back.' Those are the Central Americans. But the people from Cuba, Africa, Venezuelans, people that have travelled a long way are the ones who are actually waiting here for their asylum hearing.''
W/S Mexican border office *CUTAWAY*
SOT, William Young, Chairman of Webb county Republic Party: ''I look at the immigration problem and the asylum seekers and stuff and the problem with asylum law is that when you use it and you abuse it, then it becomes irrelevant and that is what is happening now, we have people coming from all over that are not following the laws of the United States' immigration policies and that means, if you come from a foreign country and you enter a foreign country before you get to the United States and they offer you asylum, that means that they are not threatening you in any way, they're not going to threaten you from where come, you have to accept that asylum.''
M/S Mexican border office *CUTAWAY*
SOT, William Young, Chairman of Webb county Republic Party: ''All the authority in immigration law, everybody claims CBP [US Customs and Border Protection], ICE [US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement], all they are doing is enforcing the laws that congress passed, we don't make the laws, congress does and it's up to congress to change them. Comprehensive immigration reform has to be passed by congress and as of right now, congress hasn't done anything about anything.''
C/U Mexican border office
M/S Migrants at border crossing
STORY
Makeshift 'tent' courthouses, in which asylum applications will be heard via video link to a judge, opened on Monday along Texas' Southern border with Mexico.
These 'tent courts', such as the one in Laredo, Webb County, mark the latest in the US administration's controversial asylum policy. Thousands of migrants have been waiting in Mexico until their cases are heard due to the US government's 'Migrant Protection Policy', also known as the 'Remain in Mexico' programme. The policy sees potential migrant seekers sent back across the Sourthern border as opposed to waiting for their hearings in the US.
Texan Senator, Democrat Henry Cuellar noted that "about 50% people of [these] people actually don't come back for their asylum", adding that this tends to be Central Americans. The ones who tend to remain are "the people from Cuba, Africa, Venezuelans, people that have travelled a long way."
Chairman of the Webb county Republican party, William Young blames congress for issues with asylum policy, as opposed to the agencies who carry it out.
"All the authority in immigration law, everybody claims CBP [US Customs and Border Protection], ICE [US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement], all they are doing is enforcing the laws that congress passed", he said before adding, "Comprehensive immigration reform has to be passed by congress and as of right now, congress hasn't done anything about anything."
SCRIPT