Final answer:
Homo sapiens were the first hominins to arrive in the Americas, most likely via the Beringia land bridge during the last glaciation, evidenced by the Clovis culture findings.
Step-by-step explanation:
The first hominin species to make it to the Americas was Homo sapiens. Around eighteen thousand years ago, these human ancestors likely crossed over the existing land bridge between Alaska and Russia, known as Beringia, during the last glaciation period. Evidence suggests that after arriving, Homo sapiens spread through North America and eventually into South America, as supported by the archaeological findings associated with the Clovis culture.
The theory of migration via Beringia is well-accepted among archaeologists. This pathway provided access from Asia to the Americas around the times when global sea levels were much lower. Migration theories also include a coastal route as an alternative to the inland passage that might have been used by these early humans, although the Solutrean hypothesis suggesting a European origin has been widely discounted based on genetic studies.