Since mid-September 2023, the US-Mexico border near San Diego has transformed into a stage of human despair and survival. The Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) open-air detention sites (OADS) are now home to thousands of migrants and asylum seekers who entered from Tijuana. These exposed areas provide no shelter, leaving individuals and families lying on the bare ground or on meager pieces of cardboard, dependent on non-profit organizations for basic necessities like food, water, and medical aid.

Recommendations for a Humane Approach

Recognizing the dire conditions, the Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC) visited the area in October 2023. The WRC has recommended CBP to process migrants humanely and urged the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate a comprehensive response with all government levels. They have also called for Congress to increase investment in local aid. At the heart of their recommendations is the appeal to the Biden administration to rescind the ‘Circumvention of Lawful Pathways’ rule, referred to as an asylum ban, and to expand asylum processing at ports of entry. This, they believe, will provide a more empathetic and lawful approach to the mounting migration crisis.