Hundreds of migrants wanting to seek asylum in the U.S. have shown up to the U.S.-Mexico border in southern San Diego County in recent days. At one point, there were an estimated 600 people at a makeshift camp in San Ysidro between the primary and secondary border fences.
According to Chavez, once people arrive at the primary border fence in Mexico, they are met with conditions that are not advertised.
“Their fingerprints are taken just to make sure that there are no, you know, Interpol flags or anything like that on them. No previous criminal or immigration history in the U.S.,” Chavez said, and explained they are also offered basic sustenance, like food and water, and receive any medical attention they might need. “Oftentimes they haven’t eaten in a day or two. They’re exhausted and they haven’t had the chance to bathe properly.
But, this is not the end of their immigration journey within the U.S., it is actually only the beginning. “Here in San Diego, we’re getting cases done within about a year and a half, but then you have bigger cities like San Francisco, L.A., New York, Chicago. I think their court dates are about 2025,” Chavez said.