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A top official in San Diego has claimed that the region is now the epicenter for the border crisis.
San Diego District 5 Supervisor Jim Desmond said, “San Diego is the new epicenter for migrants and illegal immigration. The surge in illegal crossings has propelled San Diego to the unfortunate position of leading all nine southern border sectors in April, a trend unseen since the 1990s.” Desmond blamed California policies for the increase: “We give migrants free health care. We can even give them free legal advice, not advice, but we’ll pay for their attorneys if they’re deported.”
The San Diego supervisor also revealed some statistics passed onto him by federal officials. According to Desmond, Border Patrol agents apprehended 2,000 people in one day who were illegally crossing the border in San Diego County. This number included 206 Chinese nationals. In addition, since the beginning of the fiscal year (which started in October), roughly 215,000 people have been apprehended in the region from 75 different countries.
In an interview with NewsNation, Desmond expressed frustration with the situation, saying, “People are just walking across the border. Border Patrol agents are not empowered to stop them. All they’re doing is processing them once they … walk across the border.”
Desmond also disclosed a significant increase in migrants arriving in San Diego by boat. According to him, less vetting is done for those arriving by sea, a claim pushed back by the Department of Homeland Security, which says all migrants are vetted the same.
This comes as President Biden and the Republican party have traded blame for the crisis at the border. Republicans have blamed the Biden administration’s policies and changes in former policies for the surge. President Biden has accused Republicans of failing to compromise on border security bills put forward by his administration, which he claims are the strongest reforms in the country’s history.
