Thousands of migrants were seen at the San Diego International Airport on Tuesday, sleeping between baggage claim rooms and sitting on the floors, all hoping to be reunited with their families before Christmas.
In just one hour period, Telemundo 20 counted more than 50 migrants seeking help in navigating the airport to their flights, unfortunately, that is not everyone's story. Some migrants will have to spend up to five days at the airport waiting to board.
"I've been here for three days, and every day I see different people come from my country or Cuba to Venezuela," said Andres Sepulveda, a migrant from Colombia.
Between the terminals, you can see dozens of migrants constantly checking the flight board. Andrés told Telemundo 20 that he was preparing to spend another night at the airport.
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"Superbad, I've had to sleep on the floor, I cover myself with what they gave us in the shelter," added Andrés Sepúlveda.
Given the increase in migrants, the San Diego airport, and non-profit organizations have had to allocate more resources.
"I am already taking people by groups. I explain to them how long they have to wait in the terminal before their flight, the documents they have to use, some people have passports, and some people do not have passports,” said Mariela Quijada, a volunteer at the San Diego airport.
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Other organizations, such as the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, have even secured a room inside the airport to support the hundreds of migrants arriving.
"We can give clothes that have been donated, sometimes shoes, sneakers that they don't have and food too, diapers sometimes," explained Paulina Reyes, attorney and manager of the Immigrant Defenders Law Center.
The San Diego airport has also given some parking spaces to those volunteers who arrive with food.
"They gave us some passes so that we could park so that the volunteers and also our staff could be at the airport," added Paulina Reyes, attorney and manager of the Immigrant Defenders Law Center.
San Diego International Airport, faced with the increase in migrants at the site, told Telemundo 20:
"We have coordinated with non-profit organizations as they help them navigate the airport. Many of these visitors are unfamiliar with airports and several non-profit organizations have developed best practices to effectively get them from the curb to the gates."
According to Supervisor Jim Desmond, San Diego County has received more than 60,000 migrants in the last three months, with no signs of these numbers abating. Monday alone, more than 12,600 migrants were counted at the southern border, the highest number ever recorded in a single day.
This story was originally reported by NBC 7's sister station, Telemundo 20. To read the article, click here.
