SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Asylum seekers are among the thousands of travelers making their way through the San Diego International Airport this Thanksgiving week.
Tuesday afternoon, a busload of migrants was dropped off at the airport. Small groups were scattered throughout the hallway between the two terminals.
Lindsay Toczylowski is the Executive Director of the Immigrant Defenders Law Center.
Her group is among the local organizations helping the migrants who come across the southern border.
"We are seeing large numbers of people at the airport on a daily basis. It is quite an effort to make sure we are welcoming people with dignity," said Toczylowski.
She said the pace has stayed the same since it started in mid-September.
"We had no idea that come Thanksgiving week, we would still be providing the same level of response, that we would still be seeing the same numbers that we are, certainly the sustained nature of the street releases is something that is surprising to all of the advocates who have been working on this for years," said Toczylowski.
The group works with migrants who are dropped off at a recently opened transitional center. She says the center is seeing 500 to 700 people a day. She says most migrants are headed to other parts of the country to reunite with family.
Earlier this month, San Diego County Supervisor Nora Vargas invited federal and state leaders to tour the transitional center. The county set aside three million dollars to run the center, but Vargas says that money could run out by mid-December.
"As a county, we did everything we could to reallocate some funding, but at this time, I need the federal government to do their part," said supervisor Vargas during a tour of the new transitional center on November 10th.
Immigration advocates say it's time to invest in a long-term solution.
"We believe that the three million dollars should have been used to really help us build the long-term infrastructure here in San Diego to welcome people with dignity," said Toczylowski.
We reached out to San Diego's congressional delegation regarding federal funding to help local migrant groups.
We were issued the following statements.
Representative Scott Peters:
Last year, Congress secured $800 million in Emergency Food and Shelter Program funding to help cities and counties dealing with an influx of migrants and asylum seekers. Roughly $70 million of this money went to San Diego nonprofits.
In October, President Biden sent Congress a $100 billion emergency supplemental national security funding request, which includes money for local NGOs, border patrol and asylum officers, all of whom play a critical role in processing migrants in a safe and humane manner. Republicans have refused to hold a vote on this request, but I am hopeful that when Congress reconvenes next month, we will have the opportunity to debate and vote on it. I hope San Diego's Republican leaders, including Supervisor Jim Desmond, will help secure Republican support for this important funding.
Tackling the crisis at the border will take cooperation from both parties. This is the only way to pass lasting legislation.
Jonathan Wilcox, Communications Director for Representative Darrel Issa, said this:
“For almost three years, Congressman Issa has called on the White House to provide new and critical resources to help our front line CBP officers regain control of Biden’s lawless open borders — all to no avail. The Congress is eager to invest in border security, not finance Joe Biden’s unprecedented border crisis.”
Congressman Juan Vargas said:
“I was pleased to see Biden’s emergency supplemental request to Congress include $1.4 billion for FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program (SSP), which exists to fund and reimburse NGOs and local governments for critical aid and basic resources for migrants. My colleagues and I are urging the Biden administration to prioritize funding for our border regions, are also asking them to consider allowing new entities to apply for this funding, enabling more partners to welcome asylum seekers in a humane manner. In the meantime, I’m pleased that San Diego County was able to utilize $3 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act to fund this day shelter.”
Representative Sara Jacobs said:
“I’m so proud that last year our San Diego congressional delegation secured $800 million in federal funding to care for migrants and asylum seekers, which non-profits, cities, and counties — including the County of San Diego — could apply to receive. Of that funding, we’ve brought home about $70 million this year for San Diego non-profits.”
Representative Mike Levin said the following:
“I was proud to support the American Rescue Plan, which provided the $3 million San Diego County approved to help address migrant arrivals in the region. I’ve also worked with my San Diego congressional delegation colleagues to deliver additional funding through FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program.
“Next, Congress must come together to pass President Biden’s recent supplemental funding request, which includes an additional $1.4 billion for the Shelter and Services Program. I’m committed to working with my reasonable colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and President Biden, to continue to bring our region the resources it needs to address this issue. Ultimately, however, our country has a broken immigration system and it’s essential we work together to fix it to improve border security while ensuring the American Dream is still attainable for everyone in our country.”
