California heat has immigration activists bracing for a humanitarian crisis

SAN YSIDRO MOUNTAINS, Calif. — It’s dawn at the foot of Otay Mountain, and the heat is already nauseating. Even this early in the morning, temperatures near this 3,500-foot peak reach triple digits, with this part of the U.S.-Mexico border under an excessive heat warning. Volunteers with Borderlands Relief Collective, a group of private citizens from the San Diego area, are preparing to drive up the mountain and deliver water and first aid to migrants crossing into the U.S. Almost as soon as they start climbing up, the group encounters a man sitting on the side of the road. He breaks into tears when he sees the volunteers approaching with water.

He is dehydrated and wearing shoes too small for his feet. In broken English, he says his name is Taleb, and he’s from Mauritania. Before NPR can get a last name, he’s rushed aside to receive care.

This summer, temperatures in California have soared to record-breaking highs, with some parts approaching the hottest ever recorded on the planet. The volunteers say this extreme weather, combined with new asylum restrictions, is creating a humanitarian crisis here. Over the course of the day, the group runs into dozens of migrants like Taleb, suffering from dehydration and exhaustion after walking miles to get into the U.S. Most say they were told by coyotes (guides who cross people over the border for a fee) to make the journey at night in order to avoid the hottest temperatures. But the terrain is difficult and takes a long time to navigate, so they end up under the scalding sun, with barely enough water.

Deaths along the border rise with temperatures

The United Nations says the U.S.-Mexico border is the deadliest land route for migrants in the world. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, migrant deaths in the San Diego sector have been rising for years. Just last year, 39 people died while trying to cross the border with Mexico, compared to four deaths in 2018. According to the most recent CBP report, the overwhelming majority of deaths on the border are because of “environmental exposure/heat.”

Volunteers say they regularly see medical emergencies out here: severe dehydration, a miscarriage and infected insect bites. And they say it’s getting worse because of extreme heat. “We’re all very worried about the coming months, what will happen,” says David Greenblatt, a volunteer who is also a surgeon in a San Diego hospital. “It’s just going to get hotter and hotter and hotter.”

Analysts expect recent immigration restriction policies from the Biden administration will exacerbate the situation. In recent weeks, the White House has essentially closed down the border to most undocumented people seeking asylum. In the past, policies like these pushed desperate migrants to attempt to cross through more dangerous and deadly areas where they are less likely to be intercepted. Along the California-Mexico border, the effects of these policies are already apparent.

To continue to read the full article click here.