Border Crisis: Murrieta prepares for influx of migrants
Home to one of the three processing facilities in Riverside County, Murrieta is preparing for a surge of migrants coming from the U.S.-Mexico border.
"We have been receiving significantly more asylum seekers dropped off in Riverside County," said County spokesperson Brooke Federico.
Federico said Riverside is the only non-border county in the country receiving migrants from Border Patrol agents. Some of them are processed here and then sent to live with family while they await hearings. Now that Title 42 is ending, Riverside County said it could quickly become overwhelmed with migrants seeking asylum, especially since 66% of their beds are already accounted for.
Murrieta resident Darren Hernandez thinks the facility could see a repeat of protests at the facility, similar to what happened in 2014 when community members blocked buses of migrants who had just arrived from San Diego.
"There's a lot of people that aren't going to stand for it," said Hernandez. "I'm not the only one. There's a lot. We stopped a bus last time, I think we'll stop it again."
Hernandez said his family went through the appropriate legal channels to immigrate from Mexico.
"If you're going to do it, do it the right way," he said. "Don't just flood a city."
The county said the drop-offs have already quadrupled since last month from 50 to over 200 migrants a day. The county has partnered with nonprofits to provide immediate shelter, hotels and meals to the incoming asylum seekers.
It has caused the county $9.9 million over the last two years and they're expecting that number to increase by $10.4 million by next month. County officials said they do have concrete plans in place in the event of protests outside the facility.
