San Diego County is seeing a lot of new faces this week as U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) agents dropped off scores of migrants across several local transit centers, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported Thursday.
Many of the arriving migrants came from a zone between the two border walls where authorities previously held them, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.
One arriving migrant asked if he could go to Chicago only for a USBP agent to tell him “you’re free,” KUSI reported.
Between 700 and 1,000 migrants arrived at San Diego County’s Otay Mesa Transit Station as of Wednesday while authorities made 7,400 illegal apprehensions along the border. The San Ysidro Port of Entry was temporarily closed amid the influx, according to KUSI.
The Biden Administration is mass releasing migrants into the San Diego community because the facilities are overwhelmed.
Migrant: “It’s no problem if I go to Chicago?”
BP Agent: “You can do whatever you want, you’re free.”
Full Story: https://t.co/6h0Z0VbMaH pic.twitter.com/taziHfyqj5
— KUSI News (@KUSINews) September 15, 2023
“Callous human smuggling organizations are moving migrants through the enforcement zone in the San Diego area,” read a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol statement obtained by KUSI. (RELATED: Court Says Greg Abbott Can Keep Border Buoys For Now)
Authorities gave the arriving migrants, from as far afield as Mauritania, notices for immigration court appearances. Many plan on reuniting with relatives across the country, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.
The influx comes as the U.S.-Mexico border remains the world’s deadliest overland route for migrants with ongoing human trafficking threats and rising concerns over potential terrorism risks.