SAN DIEGO, Calif. — A non-profit that gives temporary refuge to migrants who’ve been released from federal custody after being deemed to have legitimate asylum cases is preparing for a potential surge in people at its shelters next week.
“We are prepared. We have gotten more diapers at our shelters now. We have gotten more food like cup of noodles,” said Catholic Charities CEO Vino Pajanor.
The non-profit operates three shelters in San Diego and Imperial Counties. It houses anywhere from 300-700 migrants on any given day.
But starting next Thursday that number could spike when Title 42 ends.
The Trump-era policy allows border patrol to turn back asylum seekers due to the COVID emergency with some exceptions and has been used almost three million times.
“Hopefully the surge, the tsunami that everyone is talking about doesn’t happen,” said Pajanor.
On Friday, another group of migrants was at the border waiting to be processed. Children’s cries could be heard through the fence.
The migrants told 10News reporter Austin Grabish they had come from Ecuador, Mauritania, and Colombia.
Pajanor said one-third of the roughly 195,000 people his shelters have houses were children since starting in April 2021.
San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Nora Vargas said the county is talking with federal officials about the expected surge.
“We’ve been in contact with Washington D.C., with the Biden Administration, with CBP, with Homeland Security and really explaining to them how important it is for us that there are no street releases.”
She said everything needs to be done to ensure migrants arriving in San Diego are treated humanely and can get to their final destination, which is often out of state.
“We’re going to continue to do that because not all 18 cities in this county of San Diego are welcoming cities and so it’s our responsibility that we have as a county to ensure that people who have a right to be here are treated with that dignity and respect they deserve.”
