Recently, in the past few months, the San Diego-Mexico border has become one of the busiest transit points for illegal immigrants seeking safety and opportunities in the United States. What makes it different now is that citizens from more countries have joined the ranks of illegal border crossers.
According to Reuters, in May of this year, reporters from the news agency encountered people from Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Turkey, Brazil, Jordan, Egypt, India, and China at the San Diego border. This group is much more diverse compared to the past few years when Mexican and Central American nationals dominated the immigrant population.
A common scene is seeing immigrant families who crossed the US-Mexico border a few hours ago resting under waterproof tarps and tents leaning against the rusty steel bars of the border wall, waiting for border patrol agents to arrive.
In the remote desert area of San Diego County, some illegal border-crossing families are accompanied by young children, including babies.
This year being an election year in the United States, the unprecedented number of illegal border crossings has sparked a political storm, making the issue of illegal immigration one of the most prominent topics in the presidential race.
With the announcement of new immigration orders that significantly limit the number of asylum applications, the Biden administration hopes to see a decrease in the number of illegal border crossers.
The Biden administration stated that these measures were implemented immediately due to the high rate of border apprehensions, but exceptions will be made for unaccompanied minors, individuals facing serious medical or safety threats, and victims of human trafficking.
Data from the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shows that in April, nearly 30% of border apprehensions along the US-Mexico border occurred in the San Diego region. Since the beginning of this fiscal year in October of last year, over 1.16 million immigrants have been apprehended in border areas.
Three Jordanian men said they flew from Nicaragua to Mexico, highlighting how Nicaragua has now become a hub for illegal immigrants heading to the United States.
These immigrants who illegally enter the United States from the US-Mexico border often cite feeling unsafe or struggling to make a living in their home countries as reasons for seeking safety and opportunities in the US.