ALAMO, TEXAS – A year into Donald Trump’s presidency, the number of undocumented immigrants being detained at the border is rising.
Promises to end ‘catch-and-release’ have gone unfulfilled and many immigrants are willing to risk it all to come to the U.S.
It’s 6 am in Alamo, Texas; time for the morning prayer at Resurrection Catholic Church.
By the church’s count, there are 102 people gathered at the parish dinning hall who fled other countries to be in the United States.
Many are parents and children like Rogelio Cedillo and his son Rogelio Jr.
He departed from El Salvador two weeks ago, leaving his wife and 5-year-old daughter behind.
Cedillo considered migrating to the U.S. five years ago. The turning point came when his 20-year-old son was killed last month and he received death threats.
It’s a story echoed by the majority you talk to in this dining hall.
President Trump’s strong rhetoric on immigration made people like Cedillo think twice before coming here during the first months of his presidency, but not anymore.
In the last 8 months, the U.S. Border Patrol has seen a steady increase in southwest border apprehensions. There were more than 40,000 in December alone.
The presence of asylum-seeking immigrants at the church is evidence that the president is yet to deliver on his campaign promise to end the practice of ‘catch-and-release’.
Although Cedillo fears being turned back, he also fears having another one of his children killed. He says the situation in El Salvador is a stronger motivator to come than Trump’s words to stay away.
The families staying at the church have promised the government they will show up to immigration court at the date they were told. Whether they will follow through on that promise is yet to be seen.
It can take from months to years before they go through the entire asylum petition process. It's during that time that some may fall through the cracks of our immigration system.