At U.S. border, caravan will slow to crawl, The Gazette, By Joshua Partlow and Sarah Kinosian, the Washington Post, November 16, 2018

TIJUANA, Mexico — When the Central American caravan finally crosses onto U.S. soil — past the fresh coils of barbed wire, through the chain-link door — they will begin a closely monitored existence in U.S. custody, with showers every two days and guard checks every 15 minutes.
They will live in one of 31 holding rooms with painted cinder-block walls at the San Ysidro port of entry, the nation’s largest with space for 25 people per room, sleeping under Mylar blankets on rubber mats, watched by video surveillance. They will have two hot meals a day, a cold lunch, and possibly cereal before bed.
What the experience won’t be, for the several thousand migrants who are now pooling up in Tijuana, is fast.
“We have a process in place,” said Sidney Aki, the San Ysidro port director for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. “Please be patient.”
After more than a month and some 3,000 miles, the caravan has reached the end of its road. What had been a plodding slog through southern Mexico rapidly accelerated in the past week, as many migrants rode in buses, provided by local governments, along the route from Mexico City north to the border. More than 2,000 people have arrived in Tijuana this week, with another 7,000 not far behind, according to Mexican authorities. That doesn’t include the roughly 3,000 migrants who were already in Tijuana seeking legal entry into the United States.
For many in the caravan, the next step is to apply for asylum at the San Ysidro border crossing, and what that means is waiting. (Continues)