Migrant activists in San Diego, California, are celebrating the additional $39 million in federal funding for illegal border crossers, but others feel the money is being misspent.
Almost $20 million of the funding is from the Department of Homeland Security. It is targeted to support migrants as they wait for the outcome of their immigration proceedings court cases after federal officials dropped them off in the county, KGTV reported on April 12.
Rep. Juan Vargas (D-CA) celebrated the funding, saying, “This funding will help make sure they have the resources they need to continue their important work to provide migrant communities with food, shelter, and other critical services.”
County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Nora Vargas also highlighted the funding and insisted that the cash would be used to create a more sustainable migrant transition center.
The city’s last migrant welcome center closed down on February 22 when it ran out of money, leaving all newcomers to be disgorged from Border Patrol buses onto the streets, left to their own devices.
But the buses operated by Biden’s Border Patrol kept coming.
Just since December, Border Patrol has dropped 42,000 illegals in San Diego County, overwhelming the city and local non-governmental organizations.
Not every county official was excited that Biden opened up the funding spigot.
District Five Supervisor Jim Desmond blasted the plans, saying the money was being misspent.
“I’d rather see that money have gone towards securing the border and making sure the border patrol stops people or we only allow enough people in that we can manage,” Desmond insisted.
The County of San Diego and a local NGO are getting $38 million to support migrant efforts. Money is not the problem; it's about upholding our laws and securing the border.
Over 125,000 migrants have been dropped off in San Diego over the past six months, and these numbers will… pic.twitter.com/ovTJxaf0Qq
— Supervisor Jim Desmond (@jim_desmond) April 15, 2024
Desmond has been speaking out for months.
In September, for instance, he said the American immigration system “has failed” as Biden’s border crisis continues.
“We’re not the immigration department. We don’t have these types of resources available,” he said of San Diego’s part in the crisis. “The best cure would be, when we’re at capacity, stop letting people in for a while. We need a better system. Our immigration system has failed. It is broken. This is not the way to run an immigration system.”
In February, Desmond blasted the Biden administration for the continued crisis.
“The federal government must manage the mess they’ve created,” Desmond said. “We need the border to be secure and the laws to be upheld, including asylum cases to be heard on a case-by-case basis, not just mass released. But, in the meantime, if the federal government allows this to take place, they must fund the chaos they’ve created.”
The San Diego Sector reported the second-largest number of migrant apprehensions in March. With just over 33,000 apprehensions, the number is up from approximately 31,560 apprehensions in February. The February apprehensions were up by more than 85 percent from one year earlier.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Facebook at: facebook.com/Warner.Todd.Huston, or Truth Social @WarnerToddHuston
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