140 undocumented immigrants, including minors, are to be flown to California from Texas and processed via a Border Patrol station located near San Diego. This comes as federal officials try to cope with a mass influx of immigrants from Central America, according to Murrieta mayor Alan Long.
Long says that he has been told by federal officials that immigrants are going to be arriving in his community, which is 60 miles to the north of San Diego and has a population of 107,000, on Tuesday. Many of the immigrants are going to be released to live with family members or friends already residing in the United States.
In a statement, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed that the immigrants are going to be moved to Border Patrol stations in California from Texas but refused to clarify exactly how many people are involved. The statement acknowledged that some of the immigrants will be released under strict instructions to report to an ICE office within 15 days. “Clearly this is a failure to enforce federal law, and it’s spreading the cost and needed resources to handle these situations back on the backs of the local communities,” Long explained.
It is expected that around 140 immigrants will be processed through the Murrieta Border Patrol station every 72 hours for several weeks, starting this week. The immigrant families being sent to California are part of a big influx of Central Americans, many of whom are children.