Thirteen people were arrested in an illegal riverbed encampment that police say poses a threat to South Bay residents nearby, leaving some longtime residents with no choice but to take up their belongings and go.
Officers, deputies and agents raided the Sweetwater Riverbed, near 3000 Plaza Bonita Road, Monday morning to break up the illicit camping of about 75 people and to catch potential crimes.
They took 13 people into custody on outstanding warrants or drug-related charges, while others were issued warnings.
All left behind have until Thursday morning to move out, but some of the homes are so elaborate, they have solar panels and granite countertops.
Harold, considered the mayor of the Sweetwater Riverbed, equipped his with a full kitchen powered by solar panels. He calls his home "The Mansion."
"I built my house here. I've lived here for 30 years, and now they're telling me I've got to leave in three days," Harold said.
Another woman, who asked that NBC 7 call her Marie, is a working mother of three who was forced from her National City home when a code enforcer deemed it unliveable
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They moved into the riverbed when they could no longer afford a hotel room.
"I still consider myself homeless, but I did the best I could with what I had to make the kids fell like they had something, and it worked," said Marie. "They're comfy here."
All three of her children attend school every day, but now, they don't know where they'll be going home.
NCPD Lt. Robert Rounds said the goal of the raid was to create a safer environment for everyone involved.
"There's no law against being homeless obviously. We have compassion for that but on the other hand there's issues surrounding it that are a problem. There's crime issues, there's health and safety issues," he said.
Among the problems are large amounts of trash and debris, which wash out into the bay when rains come. Another concern is fires.
Since the start of the year, at least ten brush fires were started in illegal encampments like the one in the Sweetwater Riverbed, which stretches from National City into San Diego County and Chula Vista, NCPD officials say.
A woman was killed in one of those brush fires, and her death is still under investigation.
Rounds told NBC 7 community outreach groups joined police on their mission to offer help, but many of the people declined.
Cleanup is expected to take months.
