Usually, when big crowds of people started to enter the San Diego County property owned by Brian Silvas, his three dogs would notify him first. He would wake up at all hours to the constant barking of Whisky, Soldier, and Freedom. The three of them stay silent most of the night today. Although the migratory throngs continue to pass through, the dogs are already accustomed to it and sleep through it.
“Immigration was the foundation of this nation.” That’s okay with me,” Silvas remarked. But not in this manner. This is absurd.
About 75 miles east of San Diego, on the border between Southern California and Mexico, Silvas purchased 78 acres of land two years ago. Huge stones and hills define his territory. The border wall stops a few feet into his property, leaving only a little razor wire fence and the stony desert landscape behind.
“I would build my own wall right here if I had the money!” said Silvas.
Rather, he sees scores, if not hundreds, of migrants entering his territory every day. He claims that since Title 42, a public health policy from the epidemic era that permitted authorities to deny entry to migrants at the border, expired in May, the flood has gotten worse.
“I don’t want large groups of men and women to come through here sometimes,” Silvas remarked.
Along the same southern boundary, about five miles east of Silvas’ home, Jerry and Maria Shuster are going through a similar situation. However, the migrants who travel through there do more than merely traverse the terrain; they set up camp. Parts of their 17-acre property are littered with rubbish, abandoned garments, and tents. In order to stay warm in the almost freezing weather, the migrants build multiple campfires at night as they travel to different locations along the US border where they wait for US Customs and Border Protection authorities.
“Every one of my trees is gone. According to Jerry Shuster, one group of migrants smashed a wood fence on his property so they could have fuel for their fire. “They chop them up and put them in the fire.”
The Shusters have spent more than 40 years as residents in Jacumba Hot Springs. Jerry left the former Yugoslavia and immigrated. Maria is a native of Mexico.
Maria Shuster stated, “The government needs to take action (to) stop this illegal immigration.” “Stop it, because migrants are destroying us, not helping us.”
Uber for immigrants
Observers note that whereas illegal immigrants used to frequently flee from law enforcement upon entering the country, these days, the majority of them turn themselves in to authorities. Knowing that they would probably be freed in a few days to await court dates that may be years away, they are excited to be processed.
During the fiscal year that concluded in September, the San Diego Border Patrol Sector reported more than 230,000 interactions, a level of activity not seen by the agency in more than 20 years.
The majority of migrants that enter San Diego County seem to know what to expect from the procedure; it’s as if those who arrived earlier and with success had prepped them. They meet at different locations on the US side and wait for CBP officers, who line them up, tag their one carry-on bag, and take pictures of the migrants holding up their documentation with a smartphone app. After that, the men are tied to one another and put on buses.
They are first transported by bus a short distance to local detention facilities, where they will spend several days being processed. After that, they’re driven north to San Diego transportation hubs, from which most of them, according to county officials, move to other cities.
Agents of the Border Patrol find it difficult to communicate with many of them; instead, they rely on hand signals or, in the event that the cell signal is strong enough, smartphone translation software. The languages of Spanish and English are no longer enough, as local volunteers have recorded the crossing of individuals from over 40 nations in recent months, including China, Turkey, and Uzbekistan. Many migrants say they are escaping political persecution and physical threats from their governments, while others are leaving their home countries because of the worsening economic conditions there.
The Shusters feel powerless and frustrated.
Maria Shuster asserted, “The migrants have more rights than we do,” claiming that the Border Patrol and the local sheriff’s office had informed them that they were not permitted to eject the migrants from their land.
“People stopping people from entering private property or arresting people for trespassing, that’s a local law enforcement responsibility,” a senior CBP officer told CNN.
Given the nature of trespassing, the offenders would probably be cited and released a short distance away, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department stated in a statement to CNN. As a result, asylum seekers would be dispersed among the areas, making it more difficult for CBP to respond and process, identify, screen, and eventually remove the asylum seekers from the area.
The office adds that while it sympathizes with the people living along the border, California law essentially forbids state and local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement.
“The Border Patrol agents, I know that they didn’t sign up to be Uber, because that’s all they are right now is Uber,” Silvas said, raising concerns about the CBP’s involvement at the border.
The individuals attempting to assist
The CBP agents who distribute the wristbands to the migrants record the day they arrived at each of the numerous temporary camps located on the California side of the border. In order to prevent refugees from spending several days camped out in appalling conditions, it helps agents prioritize who should be bussed out. Every day, volunteers set up tables and provide meals as they go throughout the facility.
Sam Schultz, a local, said, “I saw the people there and just realized they didn’t have any water and started bringing water and it just kind of snowballed from there into this.” Since May, Schultz has taken it upon himself to feed several hundred migrants two meals a day, assisted by some of his family members and other volunteers. All these folks want is a better life. That is, after all, the actual reality.
Four of Dr. Diana Cantu’s medical school students from UC San Diego joined her for a day at one of the camps. As the temperature rapidly dropped, they gave out blankets and cold medicine, bandaged wounded wrists, knees, and ankles.
Dr. Cantu declared, “This is real medicine, doing this, helping people.” And yet, you feel as though there isn’t much you can do to assist them. The migrants are still incredibly appreciative.
Schultz has seen that the migrants are now willing to be placed under arrest.
“They appear and act as though they are making the universal sign that says, ‘I want to be arrested,’ and people are asking, ‘Where’s the guy?'” Explaining, Schultz crossed his hands in the air as if they were handcuffed. “I have never before seen anything like that.”
According to Schultz, some immigrants seem to be unaware that he is a volunteer who has chosen to spend his time assisting, while some arrive unaware of the greater immigration issue and dysfunction they have entered.
“This Chinese guy approached me; he’s been staying at one of these camps for two nights. and he remarks, “Observe, who’s in command?” Schultz laughs as he recalls, “Like, ‘I gotta talk to the manager, this is just unacceptable.”
He isn’t deterred from acting in accordance with his moral convictions, though.
“It is a very strange and unusual situation that is technically completely illegal, so I can understand why people are angry about these people coming across,” Schultz said. “But, regardless of any other factor, I cannot continue to live as a Christian when I witness people going without food or water.”
Schultz does not think the administration will be able to resolve the issue.
“It will require a policy shift at a level that currently appears to be ignoring it entirely,” he remarked.
Silvas, a self-described conservative who believes his land is being seized, believes no political party can resolve the problem.
“Left wing, right wing… same bad bird,” he remarked as he caressed his dog Whisky, who was curled up next to him and toasty by the fire.