Hundreds of Illegal Immigrants Dropped Off at San Diego Bus Stops: Supervisor

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection has recently dropped off hundreds of illegal immigrants seeking asylum at bus stops across San Diego County, according to a local county supervisor.

San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond told The Epoch Times that on Dec. 23, border patrol agents dropped off around 200 asylum seekers—political refugees seeking shelter in the United States after fleeing countries in South America, as well as Ukraine and China, among others.

Busloads of people were dropped off at transit stations without any resources, guidance, money, or means of transportation, and many don’t speak English, Desmond said.

“Our border is not secure, and if the federal government is going to be dropping them off in our county, they need to provide the resources, housing, and funds, and right now they’re not,” Desmond said. “The hypocrisy of this is the president’s administration has been criticizing other governors for shipping migrants to different cities, but the government is doing the same here.”

Between Dec. 23 and Dec. 27, 1,071 illegal immigrants were dropped off around the county, according to Desmond.

Asylum seekers who are granted a court date to be accepted into the United States are only able to be held by the border patrol for three days, and then must be released, according to Desmond.

However, many of them wait years for a court date. Applicants also must wait 150 days after filing for asylum before they can request a work permit to get a job in the United States.

Without the ability to work or the resources to take care of themselves, they are heavily dependent on charities and the local government.

Desmond said the Jewish Family Services and Catholic Charities in San Diego are available to guide these people to connect them with family, transportation, and housing. However, the 600 beds available are already full.

Desmond said the county board’s focus is on tightening the border and receiving support from the federal government—such as funding and federally operated shelters or housing. They have not considered taking any legal action because it could take years before they saw any reimbursement for money or resources, Desmond said.

“Our hospitals, homeless shelters, law enforcement, public health department, and social services are already at and beyond capacity and should not be forced to chase the actions of the Feds to protect San Diegans,” Desmond said.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) was not immediately available for comment, but released the following statement earlier this week, according to news reports:

“CBP releases noncitizens to service-providing nongovernmental organizations and other sites in border communities in coordination with state and local partners. CBP works diligently to ensure that releases are conducted in a safe manner and that all noncitizens released from custody are provided essential support upon release and may access transportation to continue to their destinations.

“All individuals released from CBP to continue their immigration process are screened for national security and public safety concerns. Those individuals who are found to pose a public safety risk continue to be detained. CBP and ICE make custody determinations on a case-by-case basis and have in place strict reporting requirements for any individual released from custody pending the continuation of their immigration process.”

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court ruled on Dec. 27 to keep in place Title 42—a policy triggered by former President Donald Trump—for the time being, allowing U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials to turn asylum-seekers and illegal immigrants away for health reasons listed under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines for COVID-19.

The high court voted 5–4 to grant an emergency request from 19 Republican state attorneys general who sought to intervene in defense of the rule, even though it was set to expire, arguing that lifting the policy could lead to an increase in already-record border crossings.