3,400+ migrants dropped off in San Diego county within a week

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — In just the last few days, Border Patrol agents have dropped off more than 3,400 people at transit centers across San Diego County.

ABC 10News stopped by the Iris Transit Center near San Ysidro, where volunteers have set up tents with food, water, and information to help the migrants.

“We are relying pretty heavily on Google translate,” said Paulina Reyes-Perrariz, Managing Attorney Immigrant Defenders Law Center.

Reyes explains the migrants are seeking asylum – attempting to escape violence worldwide

“We have seen people that speak Turkish, Chinese Mandarin, Vietnamese, Hindi, Somali,” she said.

Since local migrant shelters are at capacity, they are being dropped off at local transit centers instead.

“Most of the individuals we have seen are moving onward. Not many, if at all are staying in San Diego,” she said.

Reyes says most are headed to other states to meet with their sponsor families. It’s the next step in the asylum-seeking process as they await their formal court dates, where a judge will decide whether or not they can stay in the U.S.

“I decided to pull over, and I just saw the great necessity,” said Musab Medina, a volunteer.

Medina shared with ABC 10News that he lives just down the street from the Iris Transit Center. He’s been offering free rides and helping the migrants however he can.

“My inspiration to be doing this…is the remembrance of my mother,” he said, sharing that his own migrant mother risked her life so they could live in the U.S.

“I see a lot of my mother’s story in these people…you know?” he said. “Our obligation as human beings is to help each other.”

Some local officials, like county supervisor Jim Desmond, are calling for federal assistance to help deal with the situation. Desmond tweeted the following on Tuesday morning:

ABC 10News has contacted the White House for comment and is waiting to hear back.