Buses carrying undocumented immigrants had to be rerouted to San Diego in California after their path was blocked by protesters, which made it impossible for them to get into the Border Patrol process center they were heading for. The protest took place in Murrieta in California, where the immigrants were set to arrive on Tuesday morning.
The idea had been to process the undocumented immigrants at the Border Patrol center, where they would be assigned case numbers and undergo background checks before being released to wait for their immigration deportation hearings; however, the buses were instead greeted by protesters led by the town’s mayor, Alan Long. The protesters held signs and waved flags, blocking the road until all three buses were forced to retreat and travel a further 60 miles south to San Diego.
Long has been encouraging Murrieta residents to take issue with officials in order to respond to their plans to move immigrants to California from Texas. Holding centers across the south-west have become overwhelmed as the sheer number of undocumented immigrants entering the United States continues to grow, with more than 50,000 unaccompanied immigrant minors having already arrived this year.
One person unimpressed by the protest was nearby Chula Vista resident Juan Silva, who was appalled to find that children were on the buses. “I don’t think people in that town should be against little kids,” he noted, adding: “How would they feel if it was their kids?”