JACUMBA, Calif. — Hundreds of migrants remain on U.S. territory in Jacumba Hot Springs waiting to be processed by Customs and Border Protection, as the fallout from Title 42’s end continues in the San Diego region.
Some migrants have been waiting to have their asylum claims processed for as long as six days, surviving in the unincorporated area of eastern San Diego County under makeshift shelters of tarps and wood.
Each migrant has a different story: different reasons why they are coming to the US to seek asylum, and how they got onto U.S. soil.
The migrants at the Jacumba Hot Springs campsite were from various countries — including Afghanistan, India, Colombia and Peru — spanning multiple continents.
One migrant FOX 5 spoke to Sunday night said he flew from Colombia to Mexico, and then crossed the border. He said he had connections on how to get across the border from word of mouth in his home country. Another migrant said he followed coyotes to get across the border.
To pass the time as they wait to be picked up by Border Patrol, FOX 5 saw people playing soccer. One man even wrote and sang a song about his journey across the border. He described following a dream, being led by coyotes across the border and waiting for the next steps.
FOX 5 reached out to CBP for more information regarding the situation with the migrants, including if and when they might be taken for processing by agents. They could not be reached for comment, as of Sunday night.
However, CBP has previously warned about misinformation on how to properly seek asylum in the United States, saying that smugglers often relay wrong information to migrants.
As of Thursday, the previous immigration policy, Title 8, is in effect. Anyone looking to seek asylum are required to submit an application using the CBP One app before attempting to cross the border, according to federal officials.
For those people already here, they are still waiting for some help.
“Our country is in like a war,” one migrant said to FOX 5. “We just want some help…. all we can do is pray and hope to get a better life.”
Just a few miles from the migrant camp, off Old Highway 80, is an old gas station turned into a donation center. For now, volunteers are gathering donated supplies to take to the migrants.