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Get the Facts: Humanitarian aid organizations see changes at the California-Mexico border since President Trump took office

Nonprofits, volunteers, and humanitarian aid organizations are adjusting their work along the border as border crossings remain low.

Get the Facts: Humanitarian aid organizations see changes at the California-Mexico border since President Trump took office

Nonprofits, volunteers, and humanitarian aid organizations are adjusting their work along the border as border crossings remain low.

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      YEAH, THAT KIND OF PRESSURE IS A DEAD GIVEAWAY. WE HAVE MORE OF OUR COVERAGE TONIGHT ON SECURITY ALONG THE SOUTHERN U.S. BORDER. AND WHAT’S CHANGED UNDER THE NEW ADMINISTRATION. THIS WEEK WE HAVE SHOWN YOU THE CHANGES IN IMMIGRATION PATTERNS AND DRUG TRAFFICKING. TONIGHT, KCRA THREES ANDREA FLORES GETS THE FACTS ON BORDER SECURITY AS SHE SPEAKS WITH THE HUMANITARIAN GROUPS ABOUT THEIR CONCERNS FOR SAFETY. PLUS, MORE ON THE MILITARY MISSION AS MORE TROOPS ARE DEPLOYED DOWN SOUTH. BETWEEN THE BORDER WALLS OF MEXICO AND THE UNITED STATES, AN AREA KNOWN AS WHISKEY EIGHT. AT TIMES ONE OF THE LARGEST MIGRANT CAMPS IN SAN DIEGO, DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE IMMIGRATION CRISIS. ADRIANA JASSO RUNS THE HUMANITARIAN AID TENT FOR AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE. THIS IS FRENCH, ARABIC. FARSI. ONCE BUSTLING WITH VOLUNTEERS, IT’S MOSTLY EMPTY, EXCEPT FOR SOME BASIC NECESSITIES. NOW, COLLECTING DUST. WE HAVEN’T HAD CONTACT WITH PEOPLE IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS. ALMOST LIKE NIGHT AND DAY. THE FOCUS OF MANY NONPROFITS SHIFTING WITH FEWER MIGRANTS CROSSING INTO THE U.S., IT FEELS STRANGE. IT FEELS DIFFERENT. BUT THE REALITY COULD ALSO CHANGE, AS IT DID TWO YEARS AGO. FEDERAL FUNDING CUTS UNDER THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ALSO CHANGING HOW NONPROFITS ARE HELPING MIGRANTS. WE’RE ALMOST KIND OF, YOU KNOW, LIKE WRITING THE PLAYBOOK AS WE AS WE GO ALONG. NOAH MONTAGUE IS THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE ACCREDITED REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE NONPROFIT EL OTRO LADO, PROVIDING FREE LEGAL SERVICES TO MIGRANTS IN ICE CUSTODY AT A DETENTION FACILITY IN IMPERIAL COUNTY. FOR A LOT OF THESE PEOPLE, THEIR INTERACTION WITH US IS REALLY THEIR ONLY INTERACTION WITH SOMEONE WHO CAN PROVIDE INFORMATION TO THE IMMIGRATION LEGAL SYSTEM. WITHOUT THE DOJ FUNDING, IT REALLY COMPLICATES HOW SUSTAINABLE THE PROGRAM CAN BE AND HOW MANY SERVICES WE CAN PROVIDE. WHAT IS BEING FUNDED. THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S MILITARY MISSION AT THE SOUTHERN BORDER, MORE THAN 300 MILLION TAXPAYER DOLLARS ALREADY SPENT ON REDUCING IMMIGRATION, ACCORDING TO SOURCES BRIEFED ON DATA FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE. WHAT’S THE ULTIMATE GOAL HERE? SO THE GOAL IS TO DETECT EVERY SINGLE ENTRY BETWEEN THE PORTS OF ENTRY AND MAKE AN INTERDICTION, RIGHT. SO WE NEED TO HAVE 100% SITUATIONAL AWARENESS OF THE ENTIRE BORDER. THIS WEEK, FIVE PEOPLE CHARGED WITH HUMAN SMUGGLING AFTER A BOAT FILLED WITH MIGRANTS CAPSIZED OFF THE SAN DIEGO COAST, KILLING AT LEAST THREE, INCLUDING A 14 YEAR OLD BOY. THOSE UNOFFICIAL AND UNDETECTED CROSSINGS UNLOCKING NEW FEARS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS. SOME OF THESE PATHS, OR SOME OF THESE WAYS OF PEOPLE COMING INTO THE COUNTRY, CAN BE DANGEROUS TO THE POINT OF LOSING THEIR LIVES. AS CUSTOMS AND BORDER PATROL WORKS TOWARD COMPLETE OPERATIONAL CONTROL OF THE BORDER, THEY’RE ALLOWING THE TENT ON FEDERAL LAND AT WHISKEY EIGHT TO STAY UP FOR NOW. WE ARE HOPING THAT WE DON’T HEAR WHAT WE DON’T WANT TO HEAR. AND FOR THE TIME THAT WE’RE ABLE TO RETURN TO THE SPACE, WE WE ARE MAKING AN EFFORT TO COME BA
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      Updated: 7:42 AM PDT May 10, 2025
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      Get the Facts: Humanitarian aid organizations see changes at the California-Mexico border since President Trump took office

      Nonprofits, volunteers, and humanitarian aid organizations are adjusting their work along the border as border crossings remain low.

      KCRA logo
      Updated: 7:42 AM PDT May 10, 2025
      Editorial Standards
      KCRA 3 Investigates is getting the facts on border security at the southern border between the U.S. and Mexico. Nonprofits, volunteers, and humanitarian aid organizations are adjusting their work along the border as border crossings remain low. Some organizations say funding cuts under the Trump Administration are changing the services being offered to asylum seekers, detainees, and migrants as a result. As CBP and active-duty military troops remain committed to gaining full operational control of the border, some organizations worry it will drive undocumented immigrants to make dangerous crossings, possibly risking their lives. More from this series | Get the Facts: The multiagency effort made at California's southern border to seize fentanylBetween the border walls of Mexico and the United States is an area known as "Whiskey 8." At times, it's been one of the largest migrant camps in San Diego during the height of the immigration crisis.Adriana Jasso runs the humanitarian aid tent for the American Friends Service Committee. Once bustling with volunteers, it's now mostly empty, except for some necessities now collecting dust."We haven’t had contact with people in a couple of months," Jasso said. "Almost like night and day."The focus of many nonprofits is shifting as fewer migrants cross into the U.S."It feels strange, it feels different, but the reality could change as it did two years ago," said Jasso.Federal funding cuts under the Trump administration are also changing how nonprofits are helping migrants.Noah Montague is a Department of Justice-accredited representative for the nonprofit Al Otro Lado. They provide free legal services to migrants in ICE custody at a detention facility in Imperial County."For a lot of these people, their interaction with us is the only interaction with someone that can provide info to the immigration legal system," Montague said. "Without the DOJ funding, it complicates how sustainable the program can be and how many services we can provide."What is being funded is the Trump administration's military mission at the southern border. More than $300 million in taxpayer dollars have already been spent on reducing immigration, according to sources briefed on data from the Department of Defense.| More from this series | Get the Facts: Where security stands at California's southern border since President Trump took office"The goal is to detect every single entry between the points of entry and make an interdiction," said CBP agent Eric Lavergne. "We need to have 100 percent situational awareness of the entire border."This week, five people have been charged with human smuggling after a boat filled with migrants capsized off the San Diego coast, killing at least 3, including a 14-year-old boy.Those unofficial and undetected crossings are unlocking new fears for human rights groups."Some of these paths and some of the ways people are coming into the country can be dangerous to the point of losing their lives," Jasso said.As Customs and Border Patrol works toward complete operational control of the border, they're allowing the tent at Whiskey 8 to stay up, for now."We're hoping we don't hear what we don't want to hear, but for the time that we're able to return to the space, we're making an effort to come back," Jasso said.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channelPHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiPiFmdW5jdGlvbigpeyJ1c2Ugc3RyaWN0Ijt3aW5kb3cuYWRkRXZlbnRMaXN0ZW5lcigibWVzc2FnZSIsKGZ1bmN0aW9uKGUpe2lmKHZvaWQgMCE9PWUuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pe3ZhciB0PWRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZWN0b3JBbGwoImlmcmFtZSIpO2Zvcih2YXIgYSBpbiBlLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKWZvcih2YXIgcj0wO3I8dC5sZW5ndGg7cisrKXtpZih0W3JdLmNvbnRlbnRXaW5kb3c9PT1lLnNvdXJjZSl0W3JdLnN0eWxlLmhlaWdodD1lLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdW2FdKyJweCJ9fX0pKX0oKTs8L3NjcmlwdD4=

      KCRA 3 Investigates is getting the facts on border security at the southern border between the U.S. and Mexico.

      Nonprofits, volunteers, and humanitarian aid organizations are adjusting their work along the border as border crossings remain low.

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      Some organizations say funding cuts under the Trump Administration are changing the services being offered to asylum seekers, detainees, and migrants as a result.

      As CBP and active-duty military troops remain committed to gaining full operational control of the border, some organizations worry it will drive undocumented immigrants to make dangerous crossings, possibly risking their lives.

      More from this series | Get the Facts: The multiagency effort made at California's southern border to seize fentanyl

      Between the border walls of Mexico and the United States is an area known as "Whiskey 8." At times, it's been one of the largest migrant camps in San Diego during the height of the immigration crisis.

      Adriana Jasso runs the humanitarian aid tent for the American Friends Service Committee. Once bustling with volunteers, it's now mostly empty, except for some necessities now collecting dust.

      "We haven’t had contact with people in a couple of months," Jasso said. "Almost like night and day."

      The focus of many nonprofits is shifting as fewer migrants cross into the U.S.

      "It feels strange, it feels different, but the reality could change as it did two years ago," said Jasso.

      Federal funding cuts under the Trump administration are also changing how nonprofits are helping migrants.

      Noah Montague is a Department of Justice-accredited representative for the nonprofit Al Otro Lado. They provide free legal services to migrants in ICE custody at a detention facility in Imperial County.

      "For a lot of these people, their interaction with us is the only interaction with someone that can provide info to the immigration legal system," Montague said. "Without the DOJ funding, it complicates how sustainable the program can be and how many services we can provide."

      What is being funded is the Trump administration's military mission at the southern border. More than $300 million in taxpayer dollars have already been spent on reducing immigration, according to sources briefed on data from the Department of Defense.

      | More from this series | Get the Facts: Where security stands at California's southern border since President Trump took office

      "The goal is to detect every single entry between the points of entry and make an interdiction," said CBP agent Eric Lavergne. "We need to have 100 percent situational awareness of the entire border."

      This week, five people have been charged with human smuggling after a boat filled with migrants capsized off the San Diego coast, killing at least 3, including a 14-year-old boy.

      Those unofficial and undetected crossings are unlocking new fears for human rights groups.

      "Some of these paths and some of the ways people are coming into the country can be dangerous to the point of losing their lives," Jasso said.

      As Customs and Border Patrol works toward complete operational control of the border, they're allowing the tent at Whiskey 8 to stay up, for now.

      "We're hoping we don't hear what we don't want to hear, but for the time that we're able to return to the space, we're making an effort to come back," Jasso said.

      See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel