Illegal Aliens Flock to San Diego, Making it the Top Entry Point for Illegal Aliens

FAIR Take | May 2024

In April, San Diego became the top point of entry for illegal aliens crossing into the United States. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, there were 37,370 illegal aliens encountered last month in the San Diego sector, marking the first time since the 1990s that the California border city has surpassed all other eight Southwest sectors in terms of apprehensions.

Data shows that the high number of encounters are foreign nationals from countries that previously hadn’t accounted for much illegal immigration. In the past, the majority of illegal aliens apprehended were from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.  However, so far in Fiscal Year 2024 (in just seven months), those countries only accounted for 20 percent of the apprehensions in the San Diego sector. In their place, the vast majority of illegal aliens during that period were from China, Columbia, Ecuador, Brazil, Turkey, and India. China has had the most dramatic increase.

Not only was April a record month for the San Diego sector, but this fiscal year, which ends on September 30, is also poised to be a record year for the locale.  San Diego Chief Patrol Agent Patricia McGurk-Daniel said, “Last fiscal year, we had 230,000. This year, we’ve already had 200,000.” On Twitter (now X) she posted, “In the last week of April alone, border agents apprehended over 10,000 migrants from 69 countries.”

Most of the illegal aliens encountered by border agents in San Diego are being released. According to San Diego County Supervisor Desmond, more than 143,000 individuals have been released since September 2023. A lack of detention and shelter space is being cited as an issue, and many of the illegal migrants are actually being released on the streets.

Naturally, these releases pose a national security and public safety concern because the aliens are not properly vetted before they are set loose into the country.  According to National Border Patrol Council President for the San Diego sector Manny Bayon, “You have to keep in mind that we only know what we have in our databases, but when they’re coming from other countries if the United States doesn’t have cooperation we don’t know what their background is in their country.”

The public safety issues stemming from releasing migrants because of lack of bed space have already manifested themselves in the United States.  Jose Ibarra, the illegal alien charged with murdering Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, was released on parole because of a supposed lack of detention space. And, just three days ago, it came to light that a Columbian national who was convicted of murder in his home country was allegedly released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement due to “bed shortage.”

There are several elements responsible for making San Diego the new most attractive go-to point for illegal aliens. San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond elaborated, “Human smugglers have identified California, particularly the San Diego border sector, as the path of least resistance for illegal immigration.”

Another factor is Texas Governor Greg Abbott implementing policies like SB 4, deploying his state’s manpower to the border as well as placing wire barriers along the line and buoys in the Rio Grande River to deter illegal immigration and push it towards Arizona and California.

Further, Mexico has stepped up enforcement at the Texas/Mexico border. The Mexican government is limiting the total number of individuals they allow to cross the border as well as preventing others from boarding freight trains to sneak across.

However, many of the illegal aliens coming into the United States through the San Diego sector do not actually remain there. While many reportedly head to eastern cities, some will remain in California, enticed by the state’s sanctuary policies and array of benefits provided by the government. California is “inflicting this upon ourselves,” complained San Diego County Supervisor Desmond. “You know, we give … migrants free health care. We can even give them free legal advice, not advice, but we’ll pay for their attorneys if they’re deported. Local law enforcement is prohibited, prohibited from enforcing immigration law,” Desmond added.

What steps will President Biden take to secure the San Diego sector, if any?  So far, the Biden administration has been unwilling to make changes or acknowledge that its policies are not working.  Until change is made, the community of San Diego will have to live with and support illegal aliens – not tourists.