The Nation - News from Feb. 16, 1989

More than 1,000 Central Americans seeking asylum formed a half-mile line outside a Texas prison where the Immigration and Naturalization Service resumed processing of applications for the first time since last week. Hundreds camped overnight in a plowed field near the minimum-security Port Isabel Service Processing Center for early places in line. It was their first chance to file for political asylum since the INS was evicted last week from its Harlingen office because of health and fire code violations. The INS later regained access to the office but moved processing of asylum cases to the detention center because of the community outcry.