the number of migrants crossing into the
united states continues to rise
the growing crisis at the u.s mexico
border
the majority of migrants that we're
seeing today on the border have actually
been waiting
in tijuana for at least a year and
sometimes two years
it's you know just families living in
tents
and what we've seen in years past in
these kind of situations is that this is
really a booming business model for
smugglers
president biden has reopened limited
asylum processing so
it's only about here in tijuana 25 to 40
people a day
by and large for the rest the hope has
not materialized
because we're not getting guidance from
the biden administration
as to when regular asylum processing
will reopen
it's just creating a rumor mill really
driven by smugglers and other organized
crime groups
who really want to take advantage of
people who are stuck at the border
in really exposed conditions like those
who are living in camps
the biden administration changed one of
trump's policies to say that
unaccompanied children would no longer
be turned back
so that's one of the reasons we're
seeing an uptick now before the new
president took office we didn't have
these types of numbers coming across
as we see unaccompanied children all the
time
the capacity for receiving and
processing children
into the system has been vastly reduced
due to covid
that has hindered the ability of the
biden administration
to admit and process people into
facilities appropriate for care of
children
this is not the time to come we don't we
have not had the time to put in place
an immigration system an immigration
policy
we don't have the processing we need at
the border
they have to surge resources they have
to find facilities that can take
families and children
as soon as possible that takes time and
resources
so i think that's the reality of
governing as opposed to campaigning
i would in fact make sure that there is
we immediately surge to the border
all those people are seeking asylum
president biden needs to find
a process that can allow people who
arrive to be treated humanely
but decide relatively quickly whether or
not they can stay according to our laws
they need to think about what they're
going to do with the immigration courts
that are already severely backlogged
can people file their asylum cases
directly with the asylum officers at u.s
citizenship and immigration services
is it necessary that all cases funnel
into those courts
when the coveted restrictions are no
longer necessary will we have the
capacity to process them or will we
end up having essentially overrun
facilities
uh with families and other asylum
seekers at the border i think that's
what the by administration is hoping to
avoid
but it needs to take a lot of steps
right now before that happens
i have hope that things will improve
but i have to say it's very difficult
living here on the border and going to
these encampments and talking to
the migrants who are suffering every day
and telling them that we don't have any
answers for them
you