SAN YSIDRO, Calif. (KGTV) -- A long line of asylum seekers has formed over the past several days on the other side of the San Ysidro Port of Entry just a few weeks after the expiration of Title 42.
Some of the migrants said they’ve come because they are tired of waiting for appointments with customs officers.
ABC 10News’ reporting partners across the border, Televisa, said the line is made up of about 200 people.
“Since the queue began to be organized, everyone knows where they are going, and everyone fights for their position and makes sure no one cuts in line. Thank God we are like brothers here, we are fine," one migrant, Enrique, told Televisa.
The Venezuela native said he is waiting to be processed by customs officers because he said he is tired of waiting for an appointment to learn if he will be granted asylum in the U.S.
“There are already many migrants, we are not just a few, we are too many and it is already a matter of luck. I have been making the appointment for two months, but no, since they no longer opted for another option, we are here to ask for asylum," Enrique said.
It is legal for people to present themselves at ports of entry to ask for asylum.
Pedro Rios with the American Friends Service Committee said what’s missing here is how Customs and Border Protection will react.
“In the past, people do have the right person in terms of how to prove entry. However, they will be processed in a secondary way -- in other words, they will prioritize people to have a CBP One appointment," Rios said.
CBP rolled out the CBP One app ahead of the expiration of Title 42 to allow asylum seekers to submit information ahead of presenting themselves at ports of entry.
ABC 10News reached out to CBP to see how long they think it will take to clear the line, but they did not respond as of the publication of this story.
