For more than a week, busloads of migrant families have been dropped off at bus stations in San Bernardino as U.S. Customs and Border Protection grapples with another onslaught of asylum seekers from Central America.
“For several days now, U.S. Customs and Border Protection vans filled with Central American immigrant families have been driving from the El Centro Border Patrol Station in Imperial to a Greyhound bus station at West 6th and North G streets in San Bernardino,” CBS News reported last week. “Immigrant advocacy groups told CBS2 Tuesday that they have helped nearly 200 immigrants who have been dropped off at the bus station. Volunteer groups and the Catholic Church are paying to transport these immigrants to different locations.”
CBP actions in the Inland Empire mirror allegations in San Diego for the past year. But at least one immigrant activist has questioned whether San Bernardino is now being targeted by federal officials because of its lack of resources.
“Why San Bernardino?” Ericka Flores asked. “I think it’s very intentional.”
CPB has issued the following statement:
“Due to capacity limitations at many U.S. Border Patrol stations on the southern border, and the limited capacity of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to accept transfer of family units, on March 19, CBP began releasing non-criminal, processed family units. To date, CBP has released more than 40,000 family unit aliens on a Notice to Appear (NTA) / Own Recognizance Own Recognizance (OR).”
CBP added it is taking migrants to transit hubs during daylight hours, even though Flores says she witnessed some being dropped off at 10 pm.
The number of immigrants seeking asylum status in the U.S. has grown exponentially as a result of rising violence in Central America. New research from UC San Diego’s Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies shows the number of asylum seekers crossing the U.S.-Mexico border is also far higher than official estimates.
For more on the CBP’s actions, visit LAist.