SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — All eyes are on the San Diego border.
Supervisor Jim Desmond told the House Homeland Security Committee that there was an, "invasion of people crossing our borders illegally," from September 2023 to June of this year.
"Most people crossing the border illegally do not stay in San Diego County. We're the doormat. They dispersed across the country," said Supervisor Desmond.
He presented data he sourced to Customs and Border Protection, saying 600 people were entering San Diego County daily.
Supervisor Desmond detailed the encampments of migrants from all around the world that popped up around jacumba, said he witnessed smugglers drop off migrants at the border, and talked about street releases at transit hubs, to name a few.
He called the state of the border unsafe.
"What really keeps me up at night are the getaways. The ones who illegally cross our borders and don't ask for asylum. They bypass our border patrol and they come onto our shores—smuggling children and drugs by jetskis and boats," said Desmond.
But ahead of the Supervisor's testimony, border advocate Pedro Rios from the American Friend's Service Committee told us Desmond has been misrepresenting the border and hasn't been on the frontlines.
"He is playing politics with the lives of people who are seeking safety from harm and unfortunately does not offer real, concrete solutions that would benefit the lives of many people."
CBP data shows that there were about 14,436 migrant encounters in San Diego in August.
