Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen released a statement Monday evening to dispel “rumors and much of the misinformation” regarding Sunday’s clash between border authorities and migrants at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in Calif.
“They have all refused multiple opportunities to seek protection in Mexico with the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Seeking employment or family reunification are not grounds for asylum under our laws, or any international obligation. There are, however, legal ways to seek a job or to be reunited in the U.S.,” her statement read.
She said Homeland Security has confirmed that more than 600 caravan members are convicted criminals, posing a “national security and public safety risk” to the U.S.
She concluded her statement by praising the Border Patrol Agents for their response — which she said yielded no injuries — and President Donald Trump for his decision to send the Department of Defense to the “border to bolster our ports of entry and provide force protection for Customs and Border Protection.”- READ MORE