SAN DIEGO — Buses loaded with dozens of processed migrants were dropped off at the San Diego International Airport Saturday.
For some of them, it's been months since they set out on foot, hoping to make it to the U.S.-Mexico border.
On Saturday evening, many wore masks and carried legal paperwork.
They also had a one-way ticket to fly to other states to meet with family or sponsors.
An Ecuadorian man named Jame Valenzo told CBS 8 he had been staying in Mexico, and it took four months to get his claim started finally.
He adds that he is relieved that he and his 14-year-old boy are heading to New York to be with family.
Valenza and his son could be dropped off at the airport after getting an appointment with CBP; that’s where their legal documentation was processed.
Now that Title 8 is in effect, the asylum process has started and many waiting near the San Ysidro border are first picked up by border patrol and loaded onto SUVs.
They are taken to processing facilities where their asylum claims begin.
Once their legal paperwork has been processed, many are transferred to Mission Valley and Imperial County shelters organized by Catholic charities.
“We can get people in, get them situated, get them a little bit of food, and get them off to safety so we don’t have a capacity issue with our shelters,” said Vino Pajanor, the CEO of the organization.
There has not been a clear announcement of how many migrants have been processed, but according to Catholic Charities, they have sheltered up to 300 or 700 migrants a day.
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