U.S. Border Patrol agents continue to drop off migrants – including many who entered the country illegally – at a transit center in San Diego, overwhelming the city that already sees 1,200 daily arrivals.
New photos show the shocking moment as buses carrying migrants from Central America, the Middle East and Africa arrive at the center.
There they meet social workers who help them book flights and bus tickets to other parts of the country. Under Joe Biden’s lax border policies, shelters in San Diego are struggling to cope with the influx of migrants.
More than 1,000 migrants arrive in San Diego every day, many of them coming to the Iris Ave Transit Center in Otay Mesa West. The center receives 800 to 1,200 migrants every day.
Located just a short drive from the border, the center offers arriving people haircuts, laundry facilities and the opportunity to pick up fresh clothing and personal care items.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has continued to offload dozens of migrants into transit centers in San Diego as shelters sag due to demand
The influx was too large for the California city, which normally accommodates around 950 arrivals who need a bed for the night
San Diego County supervisors recently agreed to a $3 million funding deal for these services over the next three months
New arrivals, who often have endured a strenuous journey, are offered snacks and water at the centers
Asylum seekers came from all over the world, including Sudan, Chad, Senegal, China, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Central and South America and the Middle East.
Upon arrival, they are greeted by various NGOs who distribute food and water, clothing, hygiene products and information.
Arrivals also have the opportunity to charge their phones, receive SIM cards and use the Internet to contact family back home.
The cost of operating the services is estimated to be around $1 million per month. San Diego County supervisors recently agreed to a three-month financing package.
With asylum seekers pouring in from more than 100 countries, translator services are also offered.
Like 95 percent of all immigrants, those who arrive in San Diego do not plan to stay long-term.
At the Iris Ave Transit Center, a booth staffed by South Bay Community Services offers asylum seekers help booking flights. Many wish to travel onward to New York, Chicago or Colorado and receive free flights or bus tickets paid for by the charities.
Shuttle buses run every hour to take migrants to the San Diego airport and Greyhound stations.
According to the Wall Street Journal, San Diego typically has capacity for about 950 recently arrived migrants who need a bed for a night or two.
The Iris Ave Transit Center in Otay Mesa West, where these migrants were pictured, has been accepting up to 1,200 new arrivals each day
Social workers help newcomers book flights and bus tickets for their onward journey. Many will move to other parts of the country as the southern border has been devastated by the influx of migrants
NGO staff check in migrants and support them with information and translator services
Arrivals also have the opportunity to charge their phones, receive SIM cards and use the Internet to contact family back home.
The cost of operating the services is estimated to be around $1 million per month
County government officials have called the current situation an “unprecedented humanitarian crisis,” as illegal border crossings between Mexico and San Diego reached their highest levels in two decades between January and August of this year.
There were 200,000 illegal border crossings in the nine-month period, despite a wave of new asylum restrictions being introduced in May.
Migrant support groups blame the surge in illegal border crossings for the large number of people arriving in San Diego.
They also pointed to reduced state funding and the decision to send other migrants from Texas and Arizona to the California city for processing.
The releases come as several cities across the U.S. continue to grapple with their own refugee crises.
Similar migrant releases occurred in Arizona, where CBP agents discovered up to 2,000 per day.
Democratic-run cities like New York and Chicago have particularly struggled. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent more than 50,000 migrants north to pressure liberal cities to play their part in the border crisis.
While in California, the Salvation Army used federal emergency funds to fund flights to New York and other destinations.
At the Iris Ave transit center, migrants are offered clothing and personal care items to take home
San Diego’s migrant crisis is being blamed in part on a surge in illegal border crossings this year that reached its highest level in two decades
County government officials have called the current situation an “unprecedented humanitarian crisis,” as illegal border crossings between Mexico and San Diego reached their highest levels in two decades between January and August of this year
In August, New York City Mayor Eric Adams made a case for more funding when he announced that the city had served more than 100,000 asylum seekers since last spring.
He said, “While our compassion is limitless, our resources are not,” adding, “We need our federal and state partners to ensure their efforts match the magnitude of this moment.”
The Department of Homeland Security said last month that it had allocated $790 million to migrant shelters this year and asked Congress for an additional $600 million.
To ease some of the pressure, the Biden administration announced it would reverse its immigration policy and resume deportations of Venezuelans.
This came after the president decided to restart construction of the controversial border wall.