San Diego County Supervisor: 125,000 Migrants Released Into San Diego Came ‘Without Proper Vetting’

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 13: A Customs and Border Protection officer keeps watch as immigrants are transported from a makeshift camp between border walls between the U.S. and Mexico on May 13, 2023 in San Diego, California. Some of the immigrants at the open air camp have been waiting for days in limbo for a chance to plead for asylum while local volunteer groups are providing food and other necessities. The U.S. government's Covid-era Title 42 policy, which for the past three years had allowed for the quick expulsion of irregular migrants entering the country, expired on the evening of May 11. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) — A Customs and Border Protection officer keeps watch as immigrants are transported from a makeshift camp between border walls between the U.S. and Mexico on May 13, 2023 in San Diego, California. Some of the immigrants at the open air camp have been waiting for days in limbo for a chance to plead for asylum while local volunteer groups are providing food and other necessities. The U.S. government’s Covid-era Title 42 policy, which for the past three years had allowed for the quick expulsion of irregular migrants entering the country, expired on the evening of May 11. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

OAN’s Elizabeth Volberding
4:55 PM – Monday, April 8, 2024

A San Diego County official announced that a “minimum” of 125,000 migrants in the last seven months have been released from custody “without proper vetting” and placed onto San Diego’s streets.

San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond declared that over 24,000 migrants have been released onto the city’s streets since late February, and more than 125,000 in total within the past seven months.

Over 125,000 migrants have been dropped in San Diego County in the past 7 months. This isn't just a local issue; it's a national issue, as most people are going elsewhere in the country.

Open border policies, without proper vetting, have dire consequences. We have already seen… pic.twitter.com/L43VV4AhrI
— Supervisor Jim Desmond (@jim_desmond) April 8, 2024

Over 24,000 migrants street released in San Diego County in the past month and a half.

Over 120,000 migrants street released in San Diego County since September.

The chaos continues and the Federal Government is allowing it to happen.
— Supervisor Jim Desmond (@jim_desmond) April 5, 2024

The New York Post was informed by the San Diego County Supervisor that the increase of border crossings in Southern California has left Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents “completely overwhelmed” and that this situation could have “dire consequences” for the rest of the nation.

“Over 125,000 migrants have been dropped in San Diego County since September 2023,” Desmond told The New York Post, citing data that was given to his office by CBP.

“That’s just the minimum we know about and doesn’t include families, boat arrivals, or elderly people who are processed differently. The numbers have gone through the roof.”

Desmond stated that due to a lack of resources, migrants are “just walking across the border unimpeded and no one is stopping them.”

This has been observed in places like Jacumba in the county’s western region, where until recently, cracks and openings in the border wall allowed hordes of migrants to easily enter the United States.

In addition, Desmond claimed that CBP is also releasing people from custody far too soon and lacks the time and resources to thoroughly screen them. CBP sources have stated that thorough vetting and interview procedures for migrants take around 72 hours to complete.

“It’s a national issue, as most people are released from detention within 24-48 hrs and [then] going elsewhere in the country – many to the East Coast,” he said.

There is one federally funded migrant center, according to Desmond, but many migrants “loiter” across San Diego because there is “nowhere for [the majority] to go.”

“They’re being dropped off at a transit center to get buses or trains in Southern California that don’t even have bathrooms or facilities,” Desmond stated.

Prior reports from other local media sources have also stated that some migrants had been observed using public areas, such as parking lots and San Diego streets, to “relieve themselves.”

“People’s needs aren’t being met,” Desmond continued. “It needs to be a humane process.”

After being released from custody, groups of migrants are frequently discovered sleeping at San Diego Airport while they wait to board planes to other parts of the United States. Travelers have regularly criticized the location on social media, claiming that it seems like a temporary sanctuary for migrants.

“Unfortunately, San Diego Airport now has become the de facto migrant shelter, where they sleep there,” Desmond said, predicting that approximately 90% of migrants continue to other cities like Chicago, New York or Los Angeles.

Once migrants illegally enter the United States, they have the right to apply for asylum as long as they turn themselves in to Customs and Border Protection officials and can credibly demonstrate that they fear serious harm if they go back to their home country.

According to current protocol, the migrants and their belongings are then searched before being permitted into the U.S. with a court date in order to pursue their asylum applications.

Desmond cautioned that the Biden administration’s policies and the sheer volume of people arriving at the border indicate that adequate screening is not being conducted, which he believes will have disastrous results.

“We don’t know exactly where [the migrants] are going, who they are, what their background is, or if they mean harm to us,” Desmond continued. “There are people who should be on terror watch lists and we’re missing lots of them. I don’t blame the agents. I blame the Biden Administration and Homeland Security for not enforcing our laws. If seeking asylum, you’re supposed to be detained until that is found to have validity.”