A South Bay aid organization was awarded a $3 million contract to help migrants and asylum seekers with various services, including transportation to their sponsors.
SBCS, formerly known as South Bay Community Services, will work with various aid organizations that help migrants as they are being dropped off at transit stations countywide.
According to county officials, SBCS was awarded the contract because of its experience handling the unaccompanied minors shelter at the San Diego Convention Center in 2021.
Why it matters
More than 13,000 migrants have been dropped off by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at local transit stations since mid-September. According to County Supervisor Jim Desmond, that number has exceeded 20,000.
The influx of migrants has strained the finances of local aid organizations. The county called it an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. Earlier this month, the County Board of Supervisors approved a $3 million emergency relief fund to help ease the strain.
Board of Supervisors Vice Chair Terra Lawson-Remer said the money came from federal emergency funds — no local tax dollars were spent.
Looking ahead
Lawson-Remer said SBCS will act as the umbrella organization to distribute the funds where it’s needed.
“They're not doing all the work. You know, there's a lot of groups out there — Immigrant Defenders, Al Otro Lado," she said. "There's just so many of them doing amazing work. And we imagine they're all gonna continue to be partners in providing these services.”
Local nonprofits told KPBS they’re still working out the details of how the funds will be distributed.
For now, CBP said it will only drop off migrants at the Iris Transit Center, making it a centralized location where asylum seekers can get the help they need.
