Presidential candidate Julián Castro on Monday escorted a group of asylum seekers across the border bridge to his native Texas from Mexico, where they had been sent under the Trump administration’s “Remain in Mexico” policy.

Walking across the bridge with Castro were eight gay and lesbian asylum seekers from Cuba, Guatemala and Honduras, as well as a deaf Salvadoran woman and her three relatives. All had earlier tried to cross here with a lawyer after being returned to Mexico to await court hearings, and all had been sent back by U.S. Customs officers. Some had already waited four months.

The asylum seekers said they knew they were taking a risk: They could be returned to Mexico or placed in long-term detention.

“Ten years in detention is better than a day here,” said Dany, 22, a lesbian who fled Cuba with her partner and asked, like the others, to be identified by only her first name since her immigration case was pending.

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