Migrant Shelter In San Diego Shuts Down Due To Lack Of Funding And Arrivals

A migrant shelter in San Diego announced it will close its doors due to a combination of lack of funding and arrivals since the beginning of the Trump administration.

Concretely, the Jewish Family Service of San Diego said it will shut down and lay off 115 employees after six years due to "changes in federal funding and policy."

But asides from the funds, the NGO said it has not received asylum-seeking families or individuals since January 20, when Donald Trump took office and shut down CBP One app, used during the Biden administration to administer lawful asylum requests.

"With migrants no longer able to use the CBP One application, the San Diego Rapid Response Network (SDRRN) Migrant Shelter Services, operated by JFS, has not received new asylum-seeking families and individuals released from short term federal custody into our care. Due to these changes in federal funding and policy, the SDRRN Migrant Shelter Services will be paused until there is better understanding of future community needs," the organization said in a statement reported by Fox News.

It is not the first organization to report that funding is being pulled as a result of Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. Last week the administration revoked $80 million in grants to New York City for housing migrants in shelters, according to city Comptroller Brad Lander.

Concretely, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) made the decision last week, taking back payments made last week that had been awarded during the Biden administration.

Lander described the action as "highway robbery" and said that, depending on the terms of the city's grant, it could be illegal. City Hall spokesperson Liz Garcia said the Eric Adams administration is exploring litigation options and conducting an internal investigation into the way the events unfolded. Administration officials requested an emergency meeting with the White House to get the funds back.

The retrieval took place after FEMA fired four officials following claims by Elon Musk that the agency had improperly allocated funds to house migrants in "luxury hotels" in New York City.

Acting FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton confirmed that payments had been suspended, and DHS stated that those responsible for the transactions would be held accountable.

The picture is different across the border. Earlier this month The Latin Times reported that Casa del Migrante, a migrant family shelter, is operating beyond its capacity.

Casa del Migrante was built to accommodate around 150 people at a time—mostly women and children—with a steady flow of migrants arriving and departing daily. However, since Trump's inauguration, the flow has stopped, at least in one direction—people are arriving, but very few are leaving. With deported Mexican nationals increasingly requesting its services, the shelter now holds around 250 migrants, including 80 children, forcing staff to get creative as they try to meet the growing demand.

The shelter technically enforces a 20-day stay limit but many migrants have nowhere to go when their time runs out.

"They have to figure out where to go next. And that's the real problem—where do they go? They can't go back to Haiti, Colombia, or Venezuela. They can't go to the U.S. either. So what now?" explained Mayra Guadalupe Garza, a volunteer known as "Mayra Migrantes" due to her dedication to the migrant communities in Reynosa and Matamoros, about those who arrive to the border looking to request asylum.