Riverside County is temporarily caring for migrants who crossed the border from Mexico to seek asylum in the United States, with some taken in by the county from the U.S. Border Patrol station in Murrieta.
The migrants, who mainly are fleeing violence and poverty in Central America, usually are in the county for a few days before leaving to stay with sponsors across the nation. The U.S. has a formal process for those seeking asylum because they fear persecution or worse in their home country.
Some migrants in U.S. Customs and Border Protection custody end up in facilities in Blythe and Murrieta. Those released on their own recognizance and given a notice to appear for further proceedings are transferred to the county from both facilities.
The handoffs in Blythe started March 3 and those in Murrieta started the week of March 24, county spokeswoman Brooke Federico said via email. As of Wednesday, March 31, 526 asylum seekers were handed over to the county and of those, 161 were in southwest Riverside County, she said.
It’s not clear how long the handoffs will continue.
“Everything’s very fluid and while this may be happening today, things can change tomorrow,” said Jeff Stephenson, a supervisory border patrol agent.
The handoffs “are expected to occur regularly in the southwest area of Riverside County and the Blythe area,” a county news release states. In 2019, more than 2,800 migrants stayed in the county for one to three days, the release added.
After receiving the migrants, a county team tests them for COVID-19, the release read, adding that the team “practices strict COVID-19 safeguards,” including the use of personal protective equipment by migrants and staff.
Migrants who test positive or may have been exposed to the virus are isolated at local motels, the release read. But motel space is “extremely limited and this practice will not be sustainable” without state or federal help, the release added.
Those who test negative stay at a Coachella Valley nonprofit organization for one to three days while transportation is arranged to take them to their sponsors, Federico said.
The influx of migrants seeking entry into the U.S. through Mexico has been a humanitarian and political quagmire for years. The border patrol encountered more than 100,000 migrants in February, including more than 9,000 unaccompanied children and almost 19,000 families, Vox reported.
“Those numbers are expected to be even higher by the end of March,” according to the Vox report.
Riverside County officials met March 24 with state and federal representatives to request help.
“This is a federal issue, yet the county is providing safety net services with very limited resources to these individuals and families,” Supervisor Karen Spiegel said in the county’s news release. “We need support and intervention from the state and federal government before our local resources are overwhelmed.”
Supervisor Chuck Washington, who represents southwest Riverside County, said in the release that while the county is “extremely appreciative of the hard work done by nonprofits and county staff to secure temporary shelter for these people in need … we expect our federal counterparts to step up and address this pressing problem.”
As of Thursday, the county has spent $242,000 caring for the migrants, Federico said. Federal partners have said they’ll reimburse most of the county’s expenses, she added.
By way of comparison, the county spent approximately $75,000 a month for three months in 2019, Federico said.
“These costs were never reimbursed to the county from the state or federal government. The costs are significantly higher this time due to the need for motel room accommodations for those who need to isolate or quarantine.”
In an emailed statement, Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, whose district includes much of southwest Riverside County, criticized the Biden administration’s handling of the migrant influx.
“If President Biden does not change course with his actions and his words, we’ll continue to have our border overrun and bear the consequences here in Riverside County,” Calvert said.
A politically conservative pocket of Southern California, the county’s southwest area made national headlines in 2014, when protesters blocked three busloads of Central American migrants, mainly women and children, who were heading to Murrieta for processing. Fears circulated among local residents that the migrants were dangerous or carried disease.
Temecula Mayor Maryann Edwards said her city hasn’t received any information about the migrants.
“We will continue to monitor and will work with the relevant federal, state, county or nonprofit agencies if conditions change,” Edwards said via email. “But, the city has not been impacted and we do not have border patrol facilities here for any type of immigrant processing.”
In a statement, Murrieta mayor Scott Vinton said the city is aware immigrants are being processed at the border patrol facility in the city.
“City leadership is actively monitoring the situation for developments and is working with our federal partners to ensure we keep our residents safe and the added threat of COVID-19 at bay,” Vinton said.
Luz Gallegos, community programs director at Perris-based Training Occupational Development Educating Communities Legal Center, which serves immigrant communities in the Inland Empire and Imperial County, urged the public to support the migrants.
“Many of these migrants are on their way to connect with their sponsors in other states but they are released in our county to support in their transition,” she said. “We are given the opportunity to come together as a community to support these families and children by showing our compassion, so they can be treated with dignity as they continue their journey.”
Staff Writer Allyson Escobar contributed to this report.
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