Border authorities say they will close holding pen under Texas bridge for asylum seekers - Los Angeles Times
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Border authorities say they will close holding pen under Texas bridge for asylum seekers

Hundreds of migrants seeking asylum are held in a pen under the Paso Del Norte bridge Thursday in El Paso.
(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
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U.S. immigration officials say they will close an open-air pen holding migrants seeking asylum under a bridge connecting El Paso with Juarez, Mexico, just a short distance from where a senior official declared an “operational crisis†at the border last week.

In a statement Sunday, Customs and Border Protection said migrants being held under the Paso Del Norte International Bridge will be moved to a place with more space and shelter.

The holding area is a few hundred yards from where agency Commissioner Kevin McAleenan announced Wednesday that 750 border inspectors will be reassigned to help handle an influx of families from Central American seeking asylum.

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The area held hundreds of migrants outside in a pen lined with concertina wire under a bridge.

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