SAN DIEGO — Title 42 is over, but border conditions remain the same.
Hundreds of people are still behind the border wall near San Ysidro, waiting for their opportunity to seek asylum.
Men, women and children were seen covered with blankets on Friday morning. Some were waiting in makeshift tents made from garbage bags. They were sitting on the dirt, next to piles of trash and debris.
Border Patrol has been mobilizing people now that Title 42 has expired. Since Thursday night, agents have taken groups of people to get processed. Families with children under the age of two have been their primary focus.
On the U.S. side of the border wall, more humanitarian aid is arriving. Flower Alvarez, a volunteer with a nonprofit group out of North County, spent the night at the border while attending to the needs of migrants. However, she says there is still a lot of need.
“Blankets, sweaters and jackets — that’s the biggest need. Food — it has to be in large quantities — at least to distribute to 400 people,” said Alvarez. “They’re hungry, they’re asking questions.”
Shane Harris, the president of the People’s Association of Justice Advocates, got a look at the conditions at the border Friday morning. He told FOX 5 that he has reached out to pressure officials on both sides of the border to do more to help.
“I’ve written a letter to the President of the United States to bring in more resources here,” said Harris. “I’m having discussions with the Counsel General of Mexico, both federal and state officials here and Mexican officials — trying to ensure that there’s a path on the other side because there are thousands of people waiting. This is just a small portion. We need to get water blankets sleeping bags, basic necessities.”
And if the situation wasn’t already difficult enough, the circumstances have become even more challenging with the new rules in place. If migrants do not have a scheduled appointment with CBP, they are subject to be expelled.
Those that do have an appointment will undergo the initial screening and if allowed into the U.S., they’ll then be shuttled to various places in San Diego. From there, they will wait for a few days as the asylum process continues.