Washington [US], June 20: A group of migrants walked into Mexico on Saturday against pedestrian traffic on the international bridge between El Paso and Ciudad Juarez minutes after being deported from the United States under the Biden administration's new asylum ban.
The mainly twenty-something Venezuelan men were ejected under the June 5 proclamation fast-tracking deportations of most people crossing the border illegally.
In a scene that showed both the pitfalls and promises of President Joe Biden's new approach, the deportees who crossed the border only days earlier in deadly triple-digit heat, passed another group of migrants with wheelie suitcases standing in a line.
These migrants were awaiting interviews through CBP One, a mobile phone app promoted by the administration that provides a way to lawfully approach the port of entry.
Asked if he would try to cross again, a deportee with a silver cross necklace, who only gave his first name, Josuan, said: "Of course." Others nearby nodded.
All faced at least a five-year ban on entering the United States and would have to evade capture on any future crossing.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Cooperation