With barbed wire and warnings, migrants stopped at US-Mexico border

A young migrant, traveling alone from Guatemala, stands near the Rio Bravo river after crossing the border, to request asylum in the United States, as members of the Texas Army National Guard extend razor wire to inhibit migrants crossing, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico May 13, 2023. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez

After hours of waiting on the U.S. side of the border and hoping the Texas National Guard would let them seek U.S. asylum, a group of 15 migrants crossed a shallow green river back to Mexico, their faces drawn in disappointment.

After traveling from countries including the Dominican Republic and Guatemala, they were among the first people on Saturday attempting to enter the U.S. from Mexico after the end of COVID-19 restrictions that had blocked many migrants from requesting asylum at the border for the last three years.