Buses carrying recent illegal border crossers to Murietta, California were rerouted after being blocked by protesters opposed to their being processed at a local Border Patrol facility and released into the community. The 140 nationals from Central American countries were flown from Texas on Tuesday and then bused to Murrieta. The actions of the roughly 100 protesters forced federal authorities to take them instead to a Border Patrol facility in San Ysidro, California.
The recent surge of illegal aliens has overwhelmed Agents in the Customs and Border Patrol's (CBP) Rio Grande Valley Texas sector. The Department of Homeland Security decided to send the illegal aliens to other locations for processing rather than set up emergency facilities on the border.
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) statement released Monday said "U.S. Customs and Border Protection's El Centro and San Diego sectors are about to begin assisting with the processing of migrants apprehended in South Texas, many of whom are adults with children. CBP will transfer certain individuals to U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement's Removal Operations, where appropriate custody determinations will be made on a case-by-case basis, prioritizing national security and public safety." The statement said the illegal aliens "may be released with instructions to report to a local ICE office near their destination address within 15 days," after being processed in Murietta.
When the buses arrived in Murietta, American-flag carrying protestors blocked their path. Counter-demonstrators were there as well. Some pushing and shoving took place but no one was arrested . The protestors disregarded orders from police to disperse, but officers did not try to break up the demonstration. The buses turned around and left after about 25 minutes.
The pro-enforcement protesters argued that the release of illegal aliens in their community would lead to more crime and homelessness. They noted that Agents can only search criminal histories in the U.S. not other countries.
Ron Zermeno from the National Border Patrol Council told a local ABC affiliate that the illegal aliens were subject to health screening when they arrived at the San Ysidro Border Patrol facility. Several children were taken to the hospital for "unknown illnesses" at that point. Zermeno anticipated that more would be taken to the hospital because many are unhealthy.
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