More immigrant asylum seekers continue to arrive in Riverside County, which is why county authorities are now calling for the federal government to intervene.
The authorities of this county, point out that the immigrants who arrive are undergoing medical check-ups and lodging in hotels, which generates economic expenses, since more and more immigrant people and families in search of political asylum are transported by the Customs and Border Protection.
"Most of them [immigrants] are dropped off by the border patrol in the Blythe and Murrietta area, west of the county," said Yaoska Machado, a Riverside County spokesman.
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Just this month the county took on more than 257 immigrants, who underwent medical examinations and were accommodated in some local hotels, however the expenses that are generated according to the county spokesperson should be covered by the federal government.
"We are asking the federal and state governments to intervene because we do not have enough resources to continue dealing with this issue in the long term, because we know that more immigrants will continue to arrive," Machado said.
In 2019, more than 1,000 families and more than 2,800 asylum seekers ended up in Riverside County, and although they were only passing through, they were assisted for humanitarian reasons.
"We have to understand that we must protect these immigrants who come in search of asylum as well as the health of our residents and that of our personnel who attend to them when the border patrol leaves them in our territory," added Machado.
Some nonprofit organizations are also helping to assist immigrants, and the number of immigrant individuals and families trying to seek asylum are expected to increase dramatically this year, due to President Joe Biden's new immigration policy.
Most immigrants who come to this county only stay 3-5 days while reuniting with their relatives or protectors, the county provides them humanitarian aid, minus travel expenses.
This story first appeared on NBCLA's sister station, Telemundo 52. Haz clic aquí para leer esta historia en español. Ver más de Telemundo 52:
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