SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Border Patrol agents continue to process migrants coming into the Southern border at the PedWest Port of Entry in San Ysidro despite its closure since Saturday.
Nilso Alexander and his friend Angel Leal came from Venezuela. Others came from countries like China, Cuba, and Syria.
“The politics are very bad," Alexander said. "The lack of safety mainly with crime and police. Both of them are complete chaos.”
Customs and Border Protection officers are letting them through despite the closure at PedWest Port of Entry because they are migrants using the CBP One App to apply for asylum and legally enter the United States.
"The app was easy to use because everything is detailed. It says step by step how to fill it out, what information you need. Everything was very easy,” Alexander said.
Alexander and Leal are among thousands who have crossed the southern U.S. border in the last couple of months. On Monday, San Diego County Board of Supervisor Jim Desmond posted on ‘X' saying "Since September 13th, more than 50,000 migrants were dropped in San Diego County.
ABC 10News asked CBP and the county about the number of drop offs, but neither would confirm it. CBP's website and data also showed tens of thousands of encounters per month at the southern border. There were 100,000 more encounters this year compared to last year - about a 40% increase.
“It’s shocking, but if this is what we’re going to do at the border by not having it closed and secure and have a proper process that’s humane to everybody on both sides, this is the mayhem and chaos it’s created.”
For now, Alexander and Leal plan to stay with their families in Utah and Missouri. They told me they will appear before an immigration judge in four and a half years, on May 11th, 2028.
