SAN DIEGO (AP) – President Donald Trump’s plan to erect a wall along the Mexican border overlooks a key change in how people enter the U.S. illegally: Many make no attempt to jump a fence or evade authorities. They simply turn themselves in and ask for asylum.
Asylum requests have surged in recent years, in large part because of drug violence in Central America. Those who express fear of returning home are often freed into the U.S. with a notice to appear before an immigration judge.
The nation’s 2,000-mile southern border already has about 700 miles of fence, much of it built when crossers were predominantly Mexican men trying to avoid capture.