Imperial County looking for solutions to migrant surge
EL CENTRO -- As available accommodations become limited, Imperial County is looking at additional locations to house additional migrants.
Thus far this year, there has been a major surge at the border.
“So far this fiscal year to date: we have arrested 24,508 illegal aliens, a
110 percent increase from last fiscal year to date of 11,620,” said Miguel A. Garcia, Special Operations Supervisor for El Centro Sector Border Patrol, on Friday.
Also as of Friday, the county where aware of two sites where migrants are being housed: the Ramada Inn by Wyndham at Barbara Worth Country Club in Holtville and the Travel Lodge by Wyndham in El Centro, according to Gilbert Rebollar, with Imperial County’s Joint Information Center.
“Whereas the Ramada Inn is providing temporary shelter for migrants and asylum seekers that were released from federal detention and have either tested positive for COVID-19 or have been exposed to COVID-19,” Rebollar said, “the Travel Lodge is being used by a [non-governmental organization] for rapid housing when an individual is unable to depart to their designated destination due to transportation agreements.”
As these facilities fill up, the temporary quarantine and isolation shelter (QIS) in the Imperial Valley College gymnasium is also set to go offline, leaving the county searching for solutions.
Imperial County Supervisor Chairman Mike Kelley said one idea that has been discussed in using the Imperial County Fairgrounds. He said the fairgrounds would be able to house a lot of migrants and have the amenities, like electricity and water that would be needed.
He said no decision has been reached, but this location is strongly being considered, and the county will be seeking federal assistance to make this successful.
Rebollar, however, said that although the Imperial Valley Fairgrounds have been discussed as a potential site, “due to the nature of exposure and for the health and safety of all, a non-congregate shelter setting is preferred for the placement of individuals who may have or been exposed to COVID.”
Kelley observed the Barbara Worth has only 150 rooms, and he wondered aloud whether several migrants are double bunking.
“It’s a possibility, but we have to find a place for them,” he said. “There are a lot of options we are considering.”
Kelley said he has been told Imperial Valley College wants its gymnasium back. The quarantine and isolation shelter at IVC was intended to provide temporary shelter for migrants and/or asylum seekers released from federal detention who have tested positive or have been exposed to COVID-19 but do not have a safe space to isolate or quarantine.
What makes the issue more concerning, he said, is some of the migrants crossing into the United States have been infected with COVID-19, so those people have to be isolated from others.
Kelley said no one knows why the migrants are surging from across the border, but added it could be because of President Biden’s border policies or people just fleeing dangerous locations to be safer.
“No one really can put a finger on the pulse of what is happening,” he said.
Last week Imperial County ratified a letter sent to two U.S. Sens. Diane Feinstein and Alex Padilla to ask for federal assistance with the urgent challenge the county is facing in providing care and humanitarian aid to the population.
The letter in part reads that as local resources begin to exhaust in addressing the recent influx of arrivals and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Imperial County requests for the federal government to provide ongoing infrastructure and resources.
Rebollar said the county is committed to ensuring the health and safety of those that call the Imperial County home, and in providing humanitarian aid to all and furthering the dialogue of immigration policy that impacts our county and country.
“Although the county is not responsible for the selection of placement sites, we are in constant communication with all agencies involved to ensure proper guidelines are being followed and protocols are in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” Rebollar said.