migrants

ASYLUM SEEKERS FACE NEW REQUIREMENT TO FIND THEIR OWN INTERPRETERS

 

by Adriana Gonzalez-Chavez • Cronkite News

A record 2.47 million migrants were encountered at the United States’ southern border in fiscal year 2023, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. (File photo by Alexia Faith/Cronkite News)

January 22, 2024 -- Asylum seekers who don’t speak English are once again required to bring their own interpreters to interviews for U.S. immigration services, and some worry it will be a hindrance for those fleeing persecution in their home countries.

The September rule change reverted to a pre-pandemic requirement that put the onus on non-English-speaking migrants to find and pay for an interpreter.


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NEW U.S. BORDER PATROL STATION TO OPEN 2025 IN DULZURA


Facility will house migrants,  serve as control center for enforcement  


By Michael Howard

 

An artist rendering of the new Dulzura Border Patrol facility slated to open in September 2024. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Border Patrol

 

January 20, 2024 (Dulzura, CA) –  A new $74 million U.S. Border Patrol station has begun construction and is slated to open in Dulzura next year, spokesperson Michael Scappechio said in an emailed statement this week.

 

“This new station will provide CBP law enforcement personnel with much-needed facilities, technologies, and other infrastructure carefully designed to meet the demands and challenges of an ever-evolving border environment,” Scappechio wrote.

 

The station will be used to process and house migrants short-term, as well as serve as a control center for border patrol enforcement activities. The facility sits on an approximately 9-acre plot of land and will include a helipad for air support, fuel stations, and dog kennels.


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COULD MIDEAST MILITANTS CROSS BORDER IN OUR REGION?

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Supervisor Jim Desmond at press conference calling for border closure

October 28,2023 (San Diego) – The Israel-Hamas war has inflamed anti-U.S. sentiments around the world, sparking protests outside U.S. embassies in several nations,. NBC news reports. That’s led some local conservative politicians including Supervisor Jim Desmond and Supervisorial candidate Amy Reichert to call for closure of the border to new immigrants, citing fears that militants allied with terrorist groups supporting Hamas could potentially cross the border into the U.S. with an aim to harm Americans.

How credible are those concerns?


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SUPERVISORS VOTE TO USE $3 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDS TO HELP NONPROFITS AIDING MIGRANTS AND ASYLUM SEEKERS

East County Supervisors, candidate for vacant seat split on views over migrant aid

By Miriam Raftery

Photo, left:  Migrants in Jacumba Hot Springs in May 2023

October 12, 2023 (San Diego) – By a 3-0 vote,  San Diego County Supervisors on Tuesday approved allocating $3 million in federal American Rescue Act funds to aid nonprofit groups that have become overwhelmed by waves of migrants in our region. Agencies through the region’s  Rapid Response Network are handling hundreds of asylum seekers daily in recent weeks. The funding will provide immediate aid with a goal of consolidating resources into a proposed migrant center in the future.

An estimated 98% of these migrants have family in the U.S., according to the proposal. But after being processed and screened by Border Patrol agents, many are being dropped off at transit stations without food, water, translation services, or any means of contacting relatives or traveling to reunite with their families. Recently, many migrants have been held temporarily in scorching desert heat in areas such as Jacumba and Boulevard without shade, water or food; community volunteers have stepped up to provide tarps, water, and sandwiches in what ECM reporter Rebecca Person termed “peanut butter diplomacy.” One immigrant called a volunteer offering food “an angel.”

An award-winning ECM report in May led the Southern Border Communities Coalition to file a federal complaint with Homeland Security over alleged mistreatment of migrants in violation of U.S. and international laws.

The use of the federal funds approved by Supervisors, intended as a three-month stopgap measure while the  County pushes for more federal money, will be used to help migrants and asylum seekers with translation help, transportation, food, water, hygiene kits, restrooms, access to Wi-Fi and equipment to reach relatives and move beyond San Diego to their destination, while asylum seekers await hearings in immigration court.


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IN U.S. BORDER TOWN - STEADY STREAM OF MIGRANTS CONTINUES

By Rebecca Person

photos By Pete Cerep

September15,2023 (Jacumba Hot Springs) -- Just when a recent crisis of hundreds of stranded undocumented people seemed to abate, local residents of San Diego County border town Jacumba Hot Springs are reporting new waves of migrants seen on foot emerging from the rugged desert here.

In recent weeks, the numbers and frequency of sightings have increased from occasional to now several groups are observed each week. The latest group on September 13 numbered 62 people who scurried over a remote desert trail and clustered in the shade of tamarisk trees beside Old Highway 80 in Jacumba.

Photos of the travelers reveal them to be mostly young men, possibly Asian, though a few women and children were seen. By contrast, most of the May migrants said they were from Haiti, Turkey, Brazil or Guatemala, according to residents who brought them water and survival supplies.

Those pictured in photos in this article were loaded into vans late in the day on  Sept. 13 to be transported to their next destination under the apparent supervision of Border Patrol, witnesses told  ECM.


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JACUMBA HOT SPRINGS COMMUNITY STUNNED BY ARRIVAL OF HUNDREDS OF MIGRANTS - SEEKS DONATIONS

By Rebecca Person

Photo, left: John Schultz and Rebecca Person

May 14, 2023 (Jacumba Hot Springs) - Humanitarian actions are in full swing in the high desert commmunity of Jacumba Hot Springs and neighboring In Ko Pah Park at the far eastern end of San Diego County. 

Small family and humanitarian groups responded Friday and Saturday to get water, food, blankets and other essentials to hundreds of stranded migrants who have crossed the border fencing and whose dreams of having a more prosperous life in California languish amid frigid nights and daytime wind and sun in these stark high desert areas.
 
A plea has gone out to local communities in Imperial and East San Diego counties and donations are being sorted by volunteers.

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SAN DIEGO'S MIGRANT SHELTER PROGRAM MARKS 100,000TH ASYLUM SEEKER

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  two young men seeking asylum rest on cots while waiting to begin their journey to their sponsors. Photo by Chris Stone

December 21, 2022 (San Diego) - San Diego’s nationally influential migrant shelter crossed a milestone in November when its staff aided the 100,000th person seeking asylum locally.


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FEDERAL COURT STRIKES DOWN TITLE 42, RULING RESTORES ACCESS FOR MANY ASYLUM SEEKERS IN TIME FOR HOLIDAYS

Update November 16, 2022: The judge has granted an extension until Dec. 21 for this ruling to take effect, though if an appeal is filed, that deadline could be put on hold.

By Miriam Raftery

File photo: migrants in Mexico: CC by SA via Bing

November 15, 2022 (Washington D.C.) -- A federal court today struck down Title 42, which was used by the federal government to expel asylum seekers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ruling applies to families and single adults.


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EAST COUNTY FILMMAKERS AMONG FINALISTS IN MIGRANT VOICES COMPETITION AT SAN DIEGO LATINO FILM FESTIVAL

By Matthew Manosh

Photos:  finalists Diego Lynch, Mimi Pollack and Bettina Hanna created films set in San Diego’s East County.

March 21, 2022 (San Diego) – Migrant stories from around the world were poignantly displayed at the San Diego Latino Film Festival on March 15, when finalists in the fourth annual Migrant Voices Today Challenge were presented. The finalists included East County producers and directors as well as stories set in East County.


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BIDEN ADMINISTRATION SEEKS COST-SAVING ALTERNATIVES TO DETAINING SOME MIGRANTS

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Creative Commons image by SA-NC via Bing

March 14, 2022 (San Diego) – The Biden administration has announced a 120-day pilot program in Houston and Baltimore to test placing migrants into house arrest as an alternative to detention facilities while they await immigration hearings. The home curfew program would cost only $6 to $8 a day per person, far less than the $142 per day for detention in a facility, Reuters reports.


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SAN DIEGO SHELTERING NEW MIGRANTS AT CONVENTION CENTER, LOCAL HOTELS AMID BORDER SURGE

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  CC via Bing

March 23, 2021 (San Diego) - City and county officials announced Monday that the San Diego Convention Center will be used for three months to temporarily house unaccompanied immigrant minors amid a surge along the border.


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EAGLES OF THE DESERT (AGUILAS DEL DESIERTO): HEAR OUR INTERVIEW WITH HENRI MIGALA AND VICENTE RODRIGUEZ

By Miriam Raftery

July 5, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) –Called in by family members or others to search for immigrants who have gone missing after crossing the border, volunteer with the nonprofit Aguilas del Desierto (Eagles of the Desert) brave triple digit heat, rattlesnakes and other perils in a desperate effort to save lives. 

Hear our exclusive interview with Vicente Rodriguez and Henri Migala, originally aired on KNSJ radio earlier this year, at the audio link and scroll down for highlights.

According to the Border Patrol, 7,000 migrants are known to have died crossing the border since the wall began. The toll is likely much higher, since it doesn’t include those missing and never found.

Audio: 

Henri Migala and Vicente Rodriguez - Aguilas Del Desierto

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NO NEW FLU CASES AMONG ASYLUM-SEEKING MIGRANTS IN SAN DIEGO

By Miriam Raftery
 
June 16, 2019 (San Diego) – The flu outbreak in San Diego among migrants seeking asylum appears to be waning.  No new flu cases were diagnosed among the 35 new migrants screened at the county shelter on Sunday, June 16th, says Michelle Mowad, communications specialist with the county.

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TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WANTS MIGRANTS TO WAIT IN MEXICO FOR ASYLUM HEARINGS; COURT BLOCKS TRUMP DENIAL OF ASYLUM TO DOMESTIC AND GANG VIOLENCE VICTIMS



By Miriam Raftery

December 20,2018 (San Diego) – Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen today announced that Central American migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. must wait in Mexico until their hearing dates, except for unaccompanied minors. But the action is likely to be challenged in court—and thus far, federal courts have consistently ruled against the Trump administration efforts to restrict the rights of asylum seekers.


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SAN DIEGO RAPID RESPONSE NETWORK SHELTERS ASYLUM SEEKERS DUMPED BY ICE ONTO SAN DIEGO STREETS; LAUNCHES GOFUNDME CAMPAIGN

 

By Miriam Raftery

November 20, 2018 (San Diego) -- Every day since October 26, immigration authorities have released onto the streets of San Diego 20-30 migrant families (50-70 individuals) seeking asylum at the San Diego-Tijuana Border. Once processed and vetted for security risks, the Department of Homeland Security has quietly dropped these families – tagged with ankle bracelets and without any resources – at locations across San Diego. The situation has left hundreds of migrants homeless on San Diego’s streets, with nowhere to go and no way of getting to their final destinations.


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EDITORIAL: BORDER PATROL AGENTS SABOTAGING WATER BOTTLES IN DESERT SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR DEATHS OF MIGRANTS

 

By Miriam Raftery

January 19, 2018 (San Diego’s East County) – A new report by humanitarian organizations  reveals that Border Patrol agents  have been systemically destroying water bottles left in desert areas for undocumented immigrants in the Arizona desert, condemning people to die of thirst.  While its unknown if this is occurring in California, this article in Britain’s The Guardian hit home for me in a visceral way, reminding me of an experience that brought me to tears.

On the 4th of July In 2008, I rode alongwith Border Angels founder Enrique Morones. We discovered sabotage of water bottles his group had left in rugged locations--all slashed open, empty. My article, Dying to Come to America, was published in our very first edition of East County Magazine. Morones vividly described what it is like for people to die of dehydration – hallucinating, throwing off clothes and shoes. We saw the signs of this torment – a woman’s high-heeled shoe cast aside, a man’s crumpled shirt.  The heat was triple digits.

I went along to learn about experiences faced by people so desperate to come to America that they rely on water left by benevolent strangers to survive. I learned that coyotes, or human traffickers, often lie to the migrants, telling them it's just a short walk to freedom; some women dressed up to meet their husbands are unaware of the dangers. I choked up, imagining their pain. My story included photos of those slashed water bottles and graves of people--some so very young--who died crossing East County's rugged border mountains in their failed quest to find freedom.


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EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP: TOP LOCAL AND STATE NEWS

October 11, 2012  --  (San Diego’s East County)--East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego’s inland regions, published in other media. This week’s top “Roundup” headlines include:

LOCAL

  • San Diego’s Bilbray-Peters race reflects new reality in politics (Los Angeles Times)
  • Gas stations close as California gas prices skyrocket (KPBS)
  • Edison releases restart plan for unit 2 at San Onofre (KPBS)
  • Mayoral debate at Politifest: Videos (Voice of San Diego)
  • The Starting Line: UT San Diego’s Soviet-style political coverage. Are air-brushed photos next? (San Diego Free Press)
  • The Starting Life: DeMaio’s second calendar: private meetings with developers don’t count (San Diego Free Press)
  • Filner’s shaky public safety claim (Voice of San Diego)
  • Neighbors (in Lakeside) still shaken by deputies’ shootout with suspect (UT San Diego)
  • Pastors to send IRS message on political speech (UT San Diego
  • Skyline pastor tells flock he will vote for Romney (UT San Diego)
  • Proposal to double city funding on arts moves toward City Council (KPBS)
  • A guide to the media attention on Poway’s billion dollar bond (Voice of San Diego)
  • North County Times lays off one-third of staff (Sacramento Bee)

STATE

  • Brown acts to reduce gas prices (Los Angeles Times)
  • Proposition 34: Repealing the death penalty (Sacramento Bee)
  • Report: recycling fraud costs California millions (Sacramento Bee)
  • UCAN demands $474K from ex-boss  (UT San Diego)
  • California’s new migrants following the work (UT San Diego)

Read more for excerpts and links to full stories.


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ECM WORLD WATCH: GLOBAL AND NATIONAL NEWS

 
July 26, 2012 --  (San Diego’s East County) – ECM World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflecting all voices and views, we include links to a wide variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:   
 
 
 
   
 
WORLD
  • Returning migrants boost Mexico’s middle class: net immigration to U.S. now zero (Washington Post)
  • Pressure mounts to stop China’s forced abortions (USA Today)
  • Syria says could use chemical arms against foreigners (Reuters)
  • Tax havens: Super rich ‘hide’ 21 trillion (BBC)
  • Murdoch resigns from his British papers’ boards (NY Times)
U.S.
  • Poverty issue missing on presidential campaign trail (OpEd News)
  • Offshore jobs play role in campaign and economy (KPBS)
  • Romney walks political tightrope on foreign policy (CNN)
  • What happens to current nursing home residents if House Budget Resolution becomes law? (Medicare Advocacy)
  • White House threatens to veto GOP drilling bill (The Hill)
  • Solar trade war hurts Chinese imports (Technology Review)
 
Read more for excerpts and links to full stories.

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