Asylum Seekers Now Being Sent To Murrieta, County Wants Support

SOUTHWEST RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Since March 3, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has dropped off 332 asylum seekers into Riverside County. Most of the immigrants were received in the eastern desert city of Blythe, but on Thursday the county announced the drop-offs were expanded into Southwest Riverside County.

Immigrants are processed at the Theodore Newton and George Azrak Border Patrol Station located on Madison Avenue in Murrieta. As of Friday morning, 81 asylum seekers had been received into Southwest Riverside County, according to county spokesperson Brooke Federico.

"CBP informs the county about the timing of the drop-offs. The timing, number of drop-offs, and number of families and individuals dropped off is entirely dependent upon CBP," the county announcement read.

County officials Wednesday met with state and federal representatives to discuss the impact the asylum seekers are having on the county and to request support, according to the announcement.

“This is a federal issue, yet the county is providing safety net services with very limited resources to these individuals and families,” said Board Chair Karen Spiegel, Riverside County Second District Supervisor. “We need support and intervention from the state and federal government before our local resources are overwhelmed.”

The immigration issue is not new to Riverside County. Murrieta made national news headlines in 2014 when residents blocked buses containing mostly families fleeing violence in Central America. The immigrants were headed to the Murrieta Border Patrol Station for processing. Ultimately, the buses turned around.

This year, COVID-19 is an added layer.

A county team is administering rapid COVID-19 testing for asylum seekers "and practices strict COVID-19 safeguards to reduce and stop potential disease transmission," the county explained in its announcement. "These safeguards include ensuring all staff and immigrants are wearing personal protective equipment."

If someone tests positive, that person and any others exposed are quarantined at local motels throughout Riverside County. People and families not exposed to COVID-19 are provided shelter, meals, and clothing from local nonprofit organizations, the county announcement said.

The county contends motel space "is extremely limited" and is not "sustainable without immediate intervention from the state and federal governments."

The county pays for short-term services based on the immediate needs of each family, including the motel room stays; the average length of time each family spends in Riverside County is just a few days, according to the county.

In February, the total number of people apprehended crossing into the United States from the southwest land border was 100,441. It was an uptick of 28 percent over January's figure, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. More than 9,400 of those encounters were with unaccompanied children, a 61 percent increase since January and the highest number since May 2019, the figures show.

The large majority of the total apprehensions, however, are not asylum seekers, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The average is about "20 percent or so. The rest are not claiming asylum," Matthew Dyman, public affairs specialist for Customs and Border Protection, told Patch earlier this month.

Some point to President Joe Biden's immigration policies as a reason behind increased border crossings, but there are other factors, too, experts say.

Political corruption, instability, poverty and violence in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador; two hurricanes that hit that region at the end of 2020; and the economic toll of the pandemic are all contributing factors, Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy counsel for the American Immigration Council, told The New York Times. The council advocates on behalf of immigrants.

Border Patrol has been experiencing an increase in attempted monthly border crossings since April 2020 — brought on by worsening economic conditions due to the pandemic and natural disasters, according to Jeff Stephenson, Supervisory Border Patrol Agent, San Diego Sector.

"The uptick seems to be occurring in a small fraction of locations across the southwest border, which is consistent with trends in years past," Stephenson said. " ... for now the vast majority have been turned away. This is not the time to come. The border is not open, and the vast majority of people are being returned under Title 42."

The Trump administration used Title 42 to generally block land entry for many migrants in the name of COVID-19 health precautions, and the practice has largely continued under Biden, although the current president makes exceptions for unaccompanied minors.

But, post-recession economic opportunities in the United States, a chance to be with family, and some relaxation in portions of immigration policy cannot be ignored.

Jessica Bolter, a policy analyst at the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute, told The New York Times that human traffickers are also exploiting the situation.

“It’s not like everyone in Central America is paying attention to the specific policy positions to the Biden administration,” Bolter said. “Smugglers see these opportunities and they exaggerate them.”

Regardless of the "why" behind the increased crossings, the county is pushing for resources.

Supervisor Chuck Washington, whose Third District includes Murrieta, praised nonprofits and county staff for the work they are doing, but said, " ... we expect our federal counterparts to step up and address this pressing problem. Riverside County cannot shoulder this responsibility alone, especially as the numbers are expected to grow."

More asylum seekers are expected to be brought to Southwest Riverside County and Blythe, according to the county.

"The current immigration surge is anticipated to be far greater in numbers than the 2019 surge, as well as an additional complicating factor of COVID-19 disease control," the county said.

In 2019, more than 1,000 families (totaling more than 2,800 people) were dropped off in Riverside County and stayed for one to three days before traveling to their asylum sponsors in other parts of the United States, according to the county.