Over the past 2 weeks, my county, San Diego, declared a humanitarian crisis for asylum seekers at the San Diego border. According to City records, over the past 2 weeks, approximately 8,000 asylees arrived in the area. San Diego is not the only city that is facing record-high asylees/refugees. Recently, the Mayor of New York City criticized the President regarding immigration policy by stating that the migrant crisis will overburden city resources and budget. New York City has a ‘right to shelter law’ which was established in 1981 and was intended for the homeless crisis. It’s a law in which New York City provides a safe place to spend the night if requested. This law has been applied to migrants coming from around the world. According to the New York Post 95,000 migrants have been admitted in 2023 so far.
Immigration policy is complex and there is no easy solution. However, it’s clear that cities like San Diego, New York, and others around the country are struggling with accepting and adequately handling the large numbers of migrants. I hope to continue to explore the pros and cons of various policies as they evolve. President Biden promised not to continue work on building walls at our border, however, just days ago, his administration announced that it would continue building what the Trump administration started in Texas. This change in policy is indicative of the crisis and lack of coherent policy. Read the articles below to be better informed.