Supervisors Approve Migrant Center Report, Immigration Reform

SAN DIEGO, CA — The county Board of Supervisors approved an advocacy plan Tuesday for development of a long-term migrant transfer site, and agreed unanimously to send a letter to congressional leaders calling on them to work with President Joe Biden to pass bipartisan immigration legislation.

The board voted 4-1 in favor of accepting an advocacy plan report for the transfer site and directed Sarah Aghassi, interim chief administrative officer, to update the plan as needed.

Supervisors also voted to add support for a transfer site to the county's 2024 Legislative Program and allowed Aghassi to seek grants or other funding for a migrant shelter.

The board's unanimous support for a bipartisan federal immigration bill includes "addressing the delays in processing asylum, increased funding for the (Federal Emergency Management Administration) to support local governments and (non-governmental organizations, and modernize border security," according to a statement from Vice Chair Terra Lawson-Remer's office.

The votes came after a lengthy and at times emotional discussion over the migrant situation on the U.S.-Mexico border. At one point, audience disruptions led to board Chairwoman Nora Vargas to pause the meeting for roughly 10 minutes.

Lawson-Remer's call for bipartisan congressional action substituted a proposal by colleague Joel Anderson asking Biden to temporarily close the U.S.- Mexico border until there is a solution. Anderson said he was concerned about migrants being preyed upon by criminals.

"I didn't mean to strike a nerve," said Anderson, who mentioned that his office staff were planning to meet with White House officials on Wednesday regarding the border situation. "We need to do more and step up more pressure."

Anderson said he could no longer handle any street releases of migrants in his district. He noted that migrants aren't being dropped off in wealthy neighborhoods like La Jolla, but instead in San Ysidro and El Cajon, both of which are lower-income communities.

"You could define this as federally sponsored homelessness," he added.

In a statement after the vote, Anderson said he was pleased the board was united in calling on Congress to pass immigration policy that will permanently secure the border.

"My greatest concern is for my constituents and for the asylum seekers who are abandoned in our community, Anderson said.

Vargas said she didn't want street releases either, but "closing the border is not an option in a binational region that is thriving."

"Let's put aside the feelings and emotion," Vargas said. "Let's talk about practicality."

Lawson-Remer said immigration rules no longer make any sense, and haven't for some time. As one example, she cited the need for more attorneys to help migrants process their claim.

Supervisor Jim Desmond, who voted against the migrant center plan, described the current immigration process as disgraceful. Allowing more people into the nation without the capacity to manage them "is root of the problem," he said, adding the process "should be dignified, orderly and safe."

"I refuse to endorse the establishment of additional shelters as a band-aid solution to a much deeper problem," Desmond said in a statement after the vote. "Instead, I urge the president and our congressional delegation to prioritize comprehensive immigration reform to address the root causes of this crisis."

During the meeting, Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe said the migrant crisis lies at the feet of the federal government, and added that Congress hasn't passed a bill to increase border security.

"We're left with very limited options," she said.

The board's actions Tuesday followed recent reports of hundreds of migrants entering the country illegally and being released onto county streets, after county funding ran out for a nonprofit center that was being used as a migrant processing center, with bus loads released in San Ysidro over the weekend.

"More street releases happening today," Desmond posted Saturday on X, accompanied by video of a bus apparently unloading migrants in San Ysidro.

Hundreds of migrants were also dropped off Friday by U.S. Border Patrol officials at San Diego transit stations in Old Town and on Iris Avenue, according to Fox5.

Border Patrol officials did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Last Tuesday, Desmond and Anderson asked for federal assistance to help pick up the slack for the Chula Vista-based nonprofit organization formerly known as South Bay Community Services, which provided services to migrants before its funding ran out on Thursday.

"We anticipate a surge in individuals sleeping in our airports and streets," Desmond said in a prior statement. "The federal government must take immediate action to rectify this problem. The responsibility for addressing this crisis lies firmly in their hands, and they must take decisive steps to fix it."

Initially, the county was receiving between 300 and 400 migrants a day, but that number has increased to between 800 and 900, Desmond said.

"This surge is not merely a matter of numbers; it is a glaring symptom of a system failing to enforce the laws designed to safeguard our nation's borders," Desmond said.

Anderson said last week that "with funding for San Diego's migrant transition center expiring this week, our county will once again be burdened with migrant street releases at transit centers as early as this Saturday.

San Diego's migrant transition center prevented more than 80,000 street releases since October 2023 — but without federal funding, it was unsustainable, according to Anderson.

"Current estimates project that San Diego County will be seeing up to 1,000 migrants dropped off by Border Patrol every day unless federal action is taken. This is unacceptable for our communities and inhumane for those seeking a better life."

— City News Service