It is less common for a group of undocumented immigrants to come to the United States from nations other than Mexico and Central America.
May 28, 2008
Border Patrol agents Sunday detained 18 people from the horn of Africa – an uncommon but not unheard of origin for undocumented migrants to the United States, officials said.
The east African immigrants – 13 from Eritrea and five from Ethiopia – were walking along a road in Hidalgo on Sunday when they were spotted, said local Border Patrol spokesman Daniel Doty.
Agents peacefully took the undocumented immigrants into custody, Doty said. None of them was carrying drugs or firearms.
Doty said undocumented immigrants who come from countries other than Mexico either face an expedited deportation hearing or can request political asylum in the United States. Undocumented immigrants are typically deported from the country within 14 days, he said.
It is less common for a group of undocumented immigrants to come to the United States from nations other than Mexico and Central America.
While the two nations from which the immigrants are reported to hail from share a border, their political climates are distinct.
Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa and takes up about twice the land area of Texas.
Eritrea is a developing nation with a landmass slightly larger than Pennsylvania that sits on the northeast coast of Africa. It gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993 and has only one political party recognized by its government. But it is home to several other Islamic political factions, according to the CIA World Factbook.