Testifying in D.C. on Open Border Policies and San Diego’s Border Crisis

Earlier today, I testified before the House Committee on Homeland Security about the serious and lasting impacts of open border policies on San Diego and our nation. I wanted to share my experience with you firsthand.

From September 2023 to June 2024, over 155,000 adults—predominantly men aged 18 to 35—illegally crossed the border and were dropped onto the streets of San Diego County. That’s an average of 17,000 drop-offs per month, nearly 600 per day. No community, no county, and no country can withstand this type of ongoing invasion.

I’ve seen it up close. Border Patrol agents are driving vans and buses into our transit stations, unloading hundreds of people at a time—people who had crossed the border illegally just hours earlier. These individuals were free to go ahead of those legally trying to enter our country.

When I spoke to many of them, their first questions were, “Where am I?” and “How do I get to Virginia, New York, or Denver?” They aren’t staying in San Diego but dispersing across the country, making this a national problem.

In Jacumba, CA, I witnessed an encampment of about 50 people who had crossed the border the night before, waiting for Border Patrol to pick them up and process them. One man from India told me he paid $8,000 for passage across the southern border, completely unimpeded.

I saw smugglers drop off groups right at the border, where men, women, and children walked through gaps in the fence, immediately asking Border Patrol for asylum. Our agents have been reduced to processing these individuals instead of protecting the border. One frustrated officer told me that his orders were clear: STAND DOWN.

What’s worse is the daily reality we see at night—dozens of people, including Chinese nationals, dragging luggage down dirt roads after crossing illegally. Border Patrol has become little more than a shuttle service, driving migrants into San Diego at taxpayers’ expense.

San Diego County has spent $6 million to set up a migrant-receiving center to help quickly move these individuals to other parts of the country. These local dollars could have gone toward our roads, parks, and infrastructure. Meanwhile, our hospitals, homeless shelters, and healthcare systems are strained to their breaking points.

What concerns me most are the “got-aways”—those who cross undetected, bypassing Border Patrol, or arriving on our shores in boats and jet skis, smuggling drugs and children. They disappear into our communities, unaccounted for, making both San Diego and the entire country less safe.

I closed my testimony with this warning: most of the individuals crossing illegally don’t stay in San Diego—they are headed to cities and states all across America. This is a national crisis with dangerous implications. The Biden-Harris Administration created this mess and refuses to acknowledge it. They are not properly vetting the millions of people entering our communities, making us all less safe.

Thank you all for your continued support. As always, I will keep fighting for common-sense solutions that protect our communities and ensure the safety of all Americans.

San Diego County District 5 Supervisor Jim Desmond
https://www.supervisorjimdesmond.com/