Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) crossed the border into Mexico to accompany five female asylum-seekers into the United States on July 3.
The Democratic presidential candidate’s trip comes at a time when the crisis at the border has garnered significant attention due to the influx of illegal immigrants in recent months, and conflicting reports on the conditions in Border Patrol detention facilities.
Booker, who visited the port of entry in El Paso, Texas, said he joined immigrant rights attorneys and advocates to venture into Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, to help escort Cuban and Honduran women, who he said were fleeing sexual violence and attacks.
“These women had really horrific stories. They are survivors of sexual violence. They are survivors of attacks and are being preyed upon. They have legitimate fears about the kind of just unconscionable things that are going on and are happening to them,” Booker told reporters during a press conference.