Asylum seekers anxiously cross into U.S. as new policy kicks in

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer inspects documents from a Honduran migrant seeking asylum at Paso del Norte International border bridge, in this picture taken from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico July 17, 2019. REUTERS/Daniel Becerril

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (Reuters) - Fear over new U.S. curbs on almost all asylum seekers spread this week among migrants at its southern border, but some on waiting lists in Mexican cities found the gates to the United States stayed open, despite a much higher bar to stay.

Migrants in Ciudad Juarez and other Mexican border towns were cautiously optimistic as the policy took effect on Tuesday, with U.S. officials still calling those on lists of asylum seekers to cross the bridge into the United States and apply.