Honduran Pregnant Asylum Seeker Returned To Mexico While in Labor
An asylum seeker from Honduras, traveling with her three children while 8 months pregnant, pauses after crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico on March 23, 2021 near Mission, Texas. A surge of migrant families and unaccompanied minors is overwhelming border detention facilities in south Texas' Rio Grande Valley. John Moore/Getty Images

A pregnant asylum seeker was turned away with her husband and sent back to Mexico by the United States Border Patrol while she was in labor.

The two asylum seekers named Belkis and Allan said that they spent their months making their way to Tijuana, according to an 11alive report.

The couple decided to cross and become asylum seekers due to the pandemic. However, once in Border Patrol custody, Belkis began to go into labor.

"[The agent] told me 'sit down, sit down.' I can't, I tell him because it hurts a lot and I tell him I'm throwing up," Belkis was quoted in a report.

The couple was worried about their safety and their family's safety back in Honduras. They decided not to use their last name in the reports.

Allan said he wanted to take the full video, but Belkis was in fear.

The couple said they were taken to the San Ysidro Port of Entry, where they were returned to Mexico.

Belkis was then transferred to a Rosarito hospital, where she delivered her baby. The Red Cross transferred the pregnant asylum seeker. The organization was known to have operated the ambulance service in Tijuana, according to a News 8 report.

Their baby girl was named Daphne and was deemed healthy. However, they were not able to get her immunization as they are not eligible for Mexican health insurance and cannot afford them.

Rights Group

Meanwhile, humanitarian supporters are shocked by the treatment the couple received.

Ginger Cline said that what the Border Patrol did was a shocking dereliction of duty, especially knowing that the family has no immigration status in Mexico.

Cline is part of Al Otro Lado, a non-profit that provides legal and humanitarian support for migrants.

Cline added that this is consistent with what they have seen with other clients, who were returned to Mexico despite having severe medical conditions or unmet medical needs.

The U.S. Border Patrol did not address the specific case of Belkis and Allan. They said that under USBP policy, it is their responsibility to arrange medical aid to anyone who is distressed as encountered by agents.

The couple said that they plan to request asylum as a family once the border reopens.

The Couple's Journey

Allan was a soccer player in Honduras and decided to leave with Belkis after they said that they received several threats of violence, according to an ABC 10 report.

The couple said they traveled to Guatemala by bus. They then went to Mexico by boat.

They also walked and took trains to several northern cities over the course of two months.

Allan said they took the journey despite not having enough money, adding that they put everything in God's hands.

Allan added that Belkis' situation was tough, and they did not want to lose the baby.

WATCH: Asylum seeker said she was returned to Mexico while in labor - from CBS 8 San Diego