A bill meant to clamp down on the number of migrants allowed to claim asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border failed to pass Thursday, as immigration and border security become one of the top issues of this year’s election.

What You Need To Know

  • A bill meant to clamp down on the number of migrants allowed to claim asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border failed to pass Thursday

  • San Diego has become the top region along the southern border for migrant arrivals for the first time in decades, according to the latest government figures

  • According to border patrol data, there have been more than 140,000 street releases since September

  • According to Global Strategy Group, two in five (43%) voters cite immigration as one of their top issues, falling behind only inflation (51%)

Pedro Rios is the director of the American Friends Service Committee and helps give humanitarian aid to migrants waiting to be processed by Border Patrol in an area referred to as Whiskey 8. A dozen different languages hang in the supply tent, instructing migrants on what to expect when they encounter Border Patrol.  

“For instance, Border Patrol will always tell them to remove their shoelaces. If we tell them that beforehand then they can prepare for that, rather than having to have Border Patrol agents yelling at them the instructions and them not understanding what they’re being told to do,” Rios said.  

He finally has the chance to restock their supplies in a rare moment of quiet as San Diego has become the top region along the southern border for migrant arrivals for the first time in decades, according to the latest government figures.

“There are many people from Latin America, many people from different African countries, from Eastern European Bloc countries, from Asian countries, from the Middle East,” Rios said. “Many people have encountered difficult situations in their migration process. Having people here that are able to greet them and treat them with dignity is something that changes their disposition.”  

With more than 30,000 arrests last month, it was the busiest of Border Patrol's nine sectors along the southern border for the first time since the 1990s.

San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond has been visiting with migrants as they enter the U.S., often as Border Patrol releases them onto the streets of San Diego. According to Border Patrol data, there have been more than 140,000 street releases since September.

“It’s mayhem here at the cost of safety for not only San Diego County but for our country,” Desmond said.  

He said the Biden administration recently gave millions of dollars to California programs that help migrants who have crossed the southern border but the surge of people along San Diego County’s borders requires bigger solutions than funding.

“It’s not safe. That’s what really government’s number one job is to do, is to keep us safe," Desmond said. "We want immigration, we want people to come across, we want people to have jobs, I want immigration, but this is just overwhelming.”

Rios says the border crackdown in Texas might be responsible for some of the shift.

“The way we’ve described it in the past is if you grab a balloon and then squeeze it in one area, it’s going to pop up in another area and I think that’s what’s happening here,” Rios said. “How the U.S. treats people will determine how other countries will also treat people.”

If you would like to make a donation to the aid site at Whiskey 8, the American Friends Service Committee has an Amazon list.

According to Global Strategy Group, two in five (43%) voters cite immigration as one of their top issues, falling behind only inflation (51%).