San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond Calls San Diego New Epicenter Of Illegal Crossings By Migrants

In a series of statements on Thursday, San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond called the San Diego Customs and Border Protection Sector the new epicenter for migrants and illegal immigration.

While illegal border crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border has been a problem for decades, the crisis has moved up in numbers in recent years, despite not yet reaching peaks seen in 2017. Spurred by political strife in China and deteriorating conditions in Venezuela, Haiti, and many central American countries, the U.S. has seen a surge in migrants. A monthly average of 370,000 migrants have arrived at the border in 2023 and 2024, with just under 12,000 coming in on average per day.

Roughly two-thirds of Americans also believe that the situation at the border is indeed a crisis. In some cities, such as New York, services have become strained as right to shelter laws have essentially drained city funds and caused the city to reach a breaking point. However, in recent months, California has begun to bear a bigger brunt of the migrant influx thanks to laws guaranteeing things like healthcare to migrants and already large ethnic communities of people from areas where migrants come from across the state.

According to the most recent U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) statistics, there were 33,784 migrants apprehended in the San Diego Sector in March, with 185,469 coming in since October 2023. While these numbers are lower than other sectors, like the Tucson sector, which has seen 342,002 apprehensions since October, and the Del Rio sector, which saw 194,288 apprehensions since October, they also show that apprehensions have climbed up significantly in the San Diego sector compared to previous years. The sector has even broken the 30,000 migrant mark in the past few months, a high number usually seen in sectors in Texas and Arizona.

The worsening crisis has angered many lawmakers in San Diego, leading to Desmond to make his statement on Thursday.

“San Diego is the new epicenter for migrants and illegal immigration,” said Desmond on X. “Yesterday alone, Border Patrol apprehended 2,000 illegal border crossers within the San Diego sector, including 206 Chinese nationals. This surge in illegal crossings has propelled San Diego to the unfortunate position of leading all nine southern border sectors in April, a trend unseen since the 1990’s. Since October 1st, the San Diego sector has witnessed a staggering 214,855 apprehensions, representing individuals from over 75 countries across the globe.

“Moreover, the closure of the processing center has led to over 30,000 migrant drop-offs in the past two months alone, with projections of more than 1,000 drop-offs expected today. This doesn’t account for the frequent occurrences of boats washing ashore, averaging three to four incidents weekly. Human smugglers have identified California, particularly the San Diego border sector, as the path of least resistance for illegal immigration. Border Patrol has inadvertently become the ‘Uber’ for migrants entering San Diego County, and the County is the travel agent.”

San Diego is the new epicenter for migrants and illegal immigration.

Yesterday alone, Border Patrol apprehended 2,000 illegal border crossers within the San Diego sector, including 206 Chinese nationals. This surge in illegal crossings has propelled San Diego to the unfortunate…

— Supervisor Jim Desmond (@jim_desmond) April 25, 2024

“California’s status as a sanctuary state prohibits law enforcement from cooperating with immigration officials, hindering our ability to address these issues effectively,” Desmond added. “People are just walking across the border. Border Patrol agents are not empowered to stop them. All they’re doing is processing them once they walk across the border.

“And what’s happening in California, we’re, you know, inflicting this upon ourselves. You know, we give migrants free health care. We can even give them free legal advice, not advice, but we’ll pay for their attorneys if they’re deported. Local law enforcement is prohibited, prohibited from enforcing immigration law.”

As of Friday, no San Diego lawmakers have come out for or against Desmond’s remarks. However, they have been polarizing to many in the city, with some back Desmond’s remarks, and others saying that migrants have a right to be here.

“It’s been about half and half,” explained Arturo Gibson, a pollster in Chula Vista, to the Globe on Friday. “Many, primarily from immigrant and Latino communities, have bee against what Desmond says, saying he doesn’t understand the intricacies of migrants coming up to the U.S. A lot of these people, they’re facing political challenges and economic issues. I mean, Venezuela is a horror show right now, so a lot of people are migrating from there. A big one is also China, as people want to get the hell out of there and choose California because of so many Chinese-Americans already being here.

“Many think they should go by “Ellis Island” rules and be admitted but have to go into the citizenship process immediately. That has its own problems, but there are a lot of older Latinos who are upset that so many are just coming in now whereas they had to wait years, even decades, to become citizens because they went the legal route.

“And then there are those who agree with Desmond, and there are a lot. California is just making it too easy for them. No, they think they, at the very least, need to be ID’d, booked and then let up as soon as it is made clear that they aren’t a threat and that they want to contribute. You know, you want health care? Fine, but work or go to school or do something to be a productive citizen. And to be fair, most do. The big sticking point is not being here legally.

“A lot of Trump supporters also like Desmond, and for people who are for migrants coming in like this, a Trump presidency scares them because he will most likely bring back in large-scale deportations, or at least boost them back up to where he had them under his tenure. Desmond just said what a lot of people were thinking. That’s what it comes down to.”

More on Desmond’s migrant remarks are expected soon.