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Just about every day, migrants walk across the Gateway to the Americas pedestrian bridge from Mexico to Laredo, Texas, to approach U.S. customs officers, saying they are afraid to return to their home countries. That act starts the legal process for them to apply for asylum. In October 2017, a couple from India had their first encounter with a customs officer at the bridge. In the last three months of 2017, about 4,000 people each month came to border stations in Laredo asking for protection.

border crossing

Kirsten Luce for The Marshall Project
Election 2024
Fact-checking Over 12,000 of Donald Trump’s Statements About Immigration
‘I could get elected twice over the wall,’ said former President Trump. It could end up being one of the few true things he’s said about immigration.
Two women with medium skin tone, holding onto their belongings, stand in between brown pillars of a wall while waiting in a line. Several people stand in the background.
Closing Argument May 13, 2023
Title 42 is Over. What Comes Next for Asylum-Seekers?
The Biden administration’s new plan has led to confusion along the southern border.
By
A group of about 15 people stand in line with their backs facing the camera, in front of a bus.
Closing Argument September 3, 2022
Thousands of Migrants Are Now Pawns in Immigration Politics
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s policy of busing migrants to other states has ignited heated political debate. People are caught in the middle.
By
A photo illustration shows Governor Greg Abbott's face torn in half, with one half of his face brighter and the other half of his face slightly darker. There is also an image of migrants crossing the Rio Grande River, a portion of a spreadsheet showing border security costs, powdered fentanyl near hundred dollar bills, and torn sections of trees and sky.
Analysis April 27, 2022
Reality Check: 7 Times Texas Leaders Misled the Public About Operation Lone Star
As reporters investigated Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s border initiative, they repeatedly found instances where Abbott and DPS officials cited accomplishments that lacked crucial context or were misleading. Here are a few examples.
By Lomi Kriel and Perla Trevizo, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, Kengo Tsutsumi, ProPublica and , The Marshall Project
Migrant families from Central America are released at the border with orders to appear for future hearings in immigration court, on June 11, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.
News November 23, 2020
Biden Will Try to Unmake Trump’s Immigration Agenda. It Won’t Be Easy.
Restoring asylum claims and judges’ independence will be uphill work.
By
Melany Barba walks over the Cordova International Bridge, which is otherwise known as the Bridge of the Americas on January 8, 2019.
Feature January 30, 2020
The Cheer Team Caught Between Two Worlds
For these Texas high schoolers who live in Mexico, the border wall debate is more about daily logistics than politics.
Photos by Sara Naomi Lewkowicz
Words by Nina Strochlic
Central American immigrants walk along the border fence after crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico in February in El Paso, Texas. The migrants later turned themselves in to U.S. Border Patrol agents, seeking political asylum in the United States.
The Lowdown June 27, 2019
Decoding the Border Law Democrats are Debating
A proposal by Julián Castro would make unauthorized border crossing a civil offense, not a crime.
By
Feature January 14, 2019
We Are Witnesses: Becoming An American
A portrait of the U.S. immigration system in 12 short films.
By The Marshall Project
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