Over the past week, illegal border crossings have been at an all-time high, with thousands of illegal immigrants arriving “en masse” in the United States on a daily basis. San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond has issued an urgent plea calling on the federal government to “restore order and fix the chaos.”
His call for action comes as a result of a budget impasse in the U.S. Senate, which may result in a significant amount of foreign aid being withheld until the border situation is addressed. Desmond emphasized that foreign aid should not take precedence over securing the border, particularly with thousands of people entering the country every day, causing mass overcrowding.
According to Desmond, over 60,000 illegal immigrants have been released in San Diego County over the last three months, and the situation shows no signs of slowing down. He urged the U.S. Senate to pass two “common sense” proposals to address the crisis at the border.
One of these proposed solutions is to prevent illegal immigrants from applying for asylum if they don’t seek humanitarian protection in the first safe country they enter. The other proposal involves allowing customs and border officials to refuse entry to asylum seekers when the immigration system exceeds a manageable capacity.
According to Desmond, foreign aid and border security should be considered as separate issues and not used as leverage over one another. He believes that leveraging foreign aid to secure the border is a political tactic during the budget impasse, rather than a sensible strategy.
The situation at the border has been described as a “ticking time bomb” by Manny Bayon, a National Border Patrol Council union spokesman in San Diego. The number of illegal immigrants being released into the county has surged in recent weeks, prompting concerns about the strain it’s placing on local communities and services.
The influx of illegal immigrants has led to an overwhelming surge in costs for San Diego County, with over $6 million being spent on the assistance of these individuals over the last four months. The county’s resources are being stretched thin, and the burden is falling on local taxpayers rather than the federal government.
Reports of illegal immigrants crowding local hospital emergency rooms are another concern. The surge in arrivals is overloading the county’s healthcare system and other community services.
The situation has also had implications for legal travelers in the region. Border crossings have slowed down, pedestrian bridges have been closed, and those released into the U.S. cannot legally work while they await immigration hearings, which often take years to occur.
San Diego County, like other parts of the United States, is grappling with the impacts of the ongoing border crisis on its communities. Many believe that the situation at the border is reaching a breaking point and urgent action is needed to address the chaos and uncertainty it has brought to the region.
