SAN DIEGO — Critical injuries from falls at the U.S.-Mexico border wall have risen sharply, from 12 in 2016 to over 140 last year.
These include life-altering spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries being treated at local hospitals.
On Monday, immigration advocates met with Congressman Adam Schiff, a Democrat from the Los Angeles area, hoping he will take their border safety concerns to Washington, D.C., and fight for changes, especially for asylum seekers.
"It has become so polarized, so highly charged, it's hard to get to yes on it, but we need to; I don't think anyone thinks the system is working," Schiff said. Before the meeting, Schiff toured the border area, including Friendship Park, which advocates say has become unfriendly for families trying to spend time together across the US-Mexico border. "These were things I had read about, but seeing is so helpful in conceptualizing the problem," Schiff said after his visit.
Schiff also discussed sewage seeping in from Mexico, which the mayor of Imperial Beach says is devastating her community. "We now know that it not only takes entering the water to get sick, but you can also get sick from just breathing the ocean breeze," said Mayor Paloma Aguirre. She said some beaches in Imperial Beach have been closed for 641 consecutive days due to contamination. Schiff seemed sympathetic and open to addressing the decades-long problem.
"I think we could easily find bipartisan support to deal with this, and the fact it's gone on so long is just intolerable," he said.
Schiff is running for the U.S. Senate; some question whether this was a publicity stop or a chance to create real change. Mayor Aguirre says Schiff's powerful committee assignments give her cautious optimism. "I'm hoping that having his powerful voice in Congress helps us raise the issue to the level it needs to be," she said. Schiff offered no specific promises during his stop but did ask follow-up questions and said he would look into the issues presented.
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