SAN DIEGO — A center that provides services to migrants in San Diego could close this week as needs rise and funding runs out.
The nonprofit SBCS, formerly South Bay Community Services, has run the county-funded Migrant Welcome Center in partnership with other non-governmental organizations since October 2023. It has helped thousands of migrants connect with family and sponsors in the U.S.
“As the number of migrants arriving at the center has increased significantly over the last few weeks, our finite resources have been stretched to the limit, leading to the closure of the center on February 22nd," SBCS President and CEO Kathie Lembo said in a statement.
In recent months, several thousands of migrants have come through Border Patrol's facility every week. The county helped fund the migrant center because of this surge, allocating $3 million in October and another $3 million in December.
"Migrants had a safe place to go to where they could receive orientation and be there until they were taken to the airport or wherever their final destination might've been," American Friends Service Committee Director Pedro Rios said.
In addition to connecting migrants to family in the U.S., the facility hosts interpreters and organizations offering legal services. It has also helped migrants reconnect with family members if they get separated while traveling. If the center closes its doors, Rios tells CBS 8 that it could have a chain reaction for migrants in weeks ahead.
"It could also mean that now people will have to be released in the streets without resources, without their phones charged, cold because they usually are told that they have to remove most of their clothing while they are under border patrol custody," Rios said.
Local leaders are already worried about a surge of migrants being left stranded in airports and streets.
San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond has been vocal about the issue. In a written statement to CBS 8, he said:
“I have consistently opposed using local funds for federal responsibilities, as I firmly believe that local tax dollars should not be used to compensate for federal ineptness. These funds should have been directed toward tackling urgent issues within our county, such as homelessness and public safety.”
Lembo said SBCS will continue to work with the county and partners to try to identify additional resources to keep the migrant center open.
“When we accepted the challenge of this work in October of last year, we knew two things: that it spoke to the heart of our mission, and that it was for a limited time," Lembo said.
WATCH RELATED: San Diego migrant center that provides asylum seekers with resources may close due to funding (Nov. 10, 2023)