SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Hundreds of migrants continue to congregate daily between two border barriers in the Tijuana-San Diego area, on U.S. soil, hoping to get picked up Border Patrol agents.
Some set fires small fires to keep warm while others sleep while they wait.
Their goal is to be taken to a Border Patrol station for processing where they can begin their asylum cases.
But U.S. Customs and Border Protection facilities remain full and unable to take in migrants, so asylum-seekers must wait for days out in the elements.
With rain and cold temperatures in the forecast, advocates like Pedro Rios worry about the migrants’ well-being and future.
“Many of these individuals might not qualify for asylum, which means their future is unknown at this time,” said Rios. “Will they be sent back to their countries where they might face death or sent back to their countries where their families could be harmed?”
Rios stated sending troops to the border won’t help the migrants nor stem the flow of asylum seekers along the border.
“It’s concerning because we know the troops will be armed even though they will be kind of on administrative duties,” he said. “What we need is not a military response. (What) we need is a humanitarian response from the Biden administration.”
Rios says the troop deployment is a way for Biden to score points with conservatives.
“Every move the Biden administration does has to be seen through the lens of how he is preparing for the 2024 election and here, his response of bringing military troops to the border is sending a message that, ‘I’m strong at the border,'” Rios said.
In Tijuana, Chief of Police Fernando Sánchez told reporter Yolanda Morales he is concerned with having American troops stationed along the border and is hoping for collaboration and coordination with the U.S. Border Patrol and military.
“All of us in public safety are looking forward to meetings with our neighbors to the north to ensure the safety of migrants and in neighborhoods just south of the border,” said Sánchez.
With Title 42 expected to be lifted next week, there’s a belief that many more migrants will continue to arrive at the border hoping to cross into the U.S. and ask for asylum.
Title 42 is a directive suggested by the Centers for Disease Control at the start of the pandemic.
It was adopted by the Trump Administration as a way to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Border agents and CBP officers were given the directive to expel migrants almost immediately after apprehension preventing migrants from asking for asylum.
On May 11, Title 42 is expected to be eliminated by the Department of Homeland Security.