LAREDO — More than 30 immigrant activists tried to enter the U.S. here today in an act of protest against policies they say prevent them from living in the country they consider home.

The activists, including some who were deported and others who left the county voluntarily, lived significant portions of their lives in the United States.

They showed up at the international bridge and asked for humanitarian parole and asylum, organizers said.

They were being processed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers Monday afternoon.

The tactic used by the activists here, the youngest of whom is 13, is similar to that employed by nine young people who earlier this year tried to enter the U.S. at a port of entry in Arizona. They were detained and eventually given bond. Their court cases are still pending.