Migrants cross under U.S. border wall

A steady trickle of Central American migrants have been finding ways to climb over, tunnel under or slip through the US border wall to plant their feet on US soil and ask for asylum.

A Honduran father and daughter crawled under the border last week, before being stopped by US border patrol agents.

On Saturday, a group of young people hoisted themselves over the wall to San Ysidro, California, hoping that their ticket to a better life was finally within reach.

Hilda Lemuz, a 38-year-old Honduran migrant and a mother of three, tried to scale the border on Saturday, but fell and hurt her foot.

She said she would still try to cross over.

They all sought to skip the long official wait on the Mexico side for filing asylum claim with the US by getting over the wall and handing themselves over to US agents.

A large number have decided to make new lives in Mexico, applying for work permits and taking jobs at local factories while they wait as the US government processes about 100 asylum requests a day at the San Ysidro crossing, the United States’ busiest.

But by word of mouth, some have realized they can simply cross into US territory, largely uninhibited by Mexican authorities.

In twos or threes — occasionally by the dozen — they arrive at the border wall and manage to get over.

Often within minutes, border officers arrive to escort them to detention centers and begin “credible fear” interviews.

In the dark of night, migrants could be seen walking up a hill inside US territory toward agents waiting to detain them.

Thousands of migrants are living in crowded tent cities in Tijuana after undertaking a grueling journey from Central America to the US border.

Last week, US Customs and Border Protection said the San Diego sector had experienced a “slight uptick” in families entering the US illegally with the goal of seeking asylum.