Written by T. Logan Sheek
One state’s “humanitarian crisis” is another state’s daily reality. The world watched in shock as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis flew 50 illegal migrants to the sanctuary destination of Martha’s Vineyard last month. The residents of the popular vacation getaway, which usually fluctuates by 80,000 people, were quick to come together in love and unity to aid the migrants in this “humanitarian crisis”. They would create new memories and friendships that would last a lifetime – right before calling the National Guard to promptly escort the migrants off of their premises and onto a military compound. The affluent residents would then pat themselves on the back and continue on as if nothing ever happened.
Unlike the residents of Martha’s Vineyard, San Diegans do not have this luxury. A record-breaking number of migrants have strained San Diego’s shelters to capacity with no sign of slowing down. Buses carrying about 50 people transport migrants four to seven times daily as arrivals on the southern border reached an all-time high, last month exceeding 2.1 million according to Customs and Border Protection. The strain is severe enough that local authorities are worried of a repeat of what happened in 2018, where volunteers scrambled for solutions and eventually started releasing illegal immigrants onto the streets. This is not a problem that a quick call to the California National Guard can fix nor one that San Diegans have the ease of fixing in less than 48 hours.
Housing concerns are already a massive factor for California residents, which as it stands, makes it hard for even American citizens to have places to stay, resulting in what is already a homelessness crisis. Immigrants will be released into a market of near unaffordable rent and housing, creating an exponentially increasing problem. San Diego area shelters run by several nonprofits are doing what they can to help address the problem and render shelter. The CEO of one of these charities, Appaswamy Pajanor signed onto a letter from Catholic Charities USA demanding urgent assistance from the federal government. “We need to fix this. This is just not tenable”, Pajanor expressed. No word has been reported back from either Biden or a federal administration in response to what is happening in San Diego. The California Department of Social Services has confirmed that the shelters it manages across three counties, two of which reside in San Diego, cannot accept more migrants.
Photo credit by Adriana Heldiz
