The Department of Justice has started issuing charges against members of a caravan parked at the southern border with Mexico. 

Late Monday night, charges were filed against 11 members for illegally entering the United States. One of the caravan members has been deported before. 

“When respect for the rule of law diminishes, so too does our ability to protect our great nation, its borders, and its citizens,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions released in a statement. “The United States will not stand by as our immigration laws are ignored and our nation’s safety is jeopardized. U.S. Attorney Adam Braverman and his team should be commended for quickly filing illegal entry charges for individuals apprehended along the southwestern border. We will continue to work with our partners in each U.S. Attorney’s Offices to aggressively pursue prosecutions of criminal illegal entry.”

According to DOJ, the members charged purposely evaded immigration authorities by entering the country at “a time and place other than as designated by Immigration Officers, and eluded examination and inspection by Immigration Officers.”