While San Diego International Airport is beginning to clog up with Thanksgiving travelers, hundreds of migrants wait at the airport for flights to meet up with family members as they continue their journey to the United States.
Telemundo 20 spoke with some migrants waiting for their flights who say they have been waiting for hours, some days, waiting to catch their flights. In some cases, some are without food.
“I do have money, but obviously limited and the food is expensive here,” said Pablo Mora, a migrant from Colombia. “I’m still on the odyssey of getting to my destination, with peace of mind because I’m not in Mexico, but I’m still waiting.”
A 21-year-old woman from Nicaragua told Telemundo 20 that she had no ticket and no date for her flight, a situation in which non-profit organizations say victimize migrants.
“There are migrants sleeping on the floor at the airport and that already generates a stigma that does not help in any way to a good reception or a good integration of them into that society,” said Soraya Vázquez, deputy director of the organization Al Otro Lado.
The San Diego airport said they have seen an increase in migrants traveling through their facility as they seek asylum in the United States.
“Since late last year, San Diego International Airport has experienced a significant increase in the number of migrants using the airport to make their way to their next destination. We have coordinated and will continue to coordinate with volunteer groups that serve migrants and nonprofit organizations as they help their clients navigate the airport.”
Migrants that cross the U.S.-Mexico border seeking asylum are processed and are then released into the United States where they are to meet with their sponsors while their claim goes through court proceedings, which can take months if not years.
Once in the U.S., migrants are sometimes taken to transit centers to continue their journey to their sponsors but it is not clear if that is what is happening with those waiting at SAN airport. Several non-profit organizations have stepped in to help migrants through the process.
“They’re traveling like everyone else, too, so give yourselves plenty of time to navigate this situation. It’s a different thing for them as well,” said Fernando Alcala, a communications specialist at the San Diego airport.
The migrants we spoke to told us that what worries them most is spending the next few hours without food or money to buy food while they wait for their next flight, which could be in a few hours or without a definite time.
Nonprofit organizations do give out some food to migrants while they wait for their flights.