EL PASO, Calif. (KERO) — State and local officials are grappling with a spike in migrant crossings at the southern border. Lawmakers say the surge in crossings is straining state resources.
In California, border workers say they're overwhelmed with processing hundreds of asylum seekers every day.
"People are going to fall through the cracks. Young kids are going to be out there sleeping on the sidewalks," said California Governor Gavin Newsom. "It's an immigration system that has to be reformed, and yet there's no discussion of it in Congress because the Republican Congress wants nothing to do with it."
In El Paso, unauthorized border crossings are now averaging more than 2,400 daily. Officials warn the surge could swell even more when a Trump-era border policy ends this month. The policy, known as Title 42, allows the immediate expulsion of migrants without letting them apply for asylum.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will visit El Paso to discuss the issue with leaders in the area on Tuesday, December 13th.
