Two years and 21 days after the first asylum seeker was walked back from San Diego to Tijuana under the Trump administration’s “Remain in Mexico” program, a small group of asylum seekers was escorted in the other direction to wait out immigration court cases in the United States. CEO Michael Hopkins said, “This is a really different experience than 2½ years ago, when we got the call on our hotline that moms and kids were on the streets of San Diego.”

“We applaud the Biden-Harris Administration and we are optimistic that this is the first of many steps to rebuild our immigration system and restore the asylum process,” said JFS and its partners in the San Diego Rapid Response Network.

Un grupo de 25 migrantes que cruzaron por la frontera de San Diego y Tijuana estuvieron entre los primeros solicitantes de asilo que se les permitió entrar a Estados Unidos bajo los nuevos cambios de la administración Biden que comenzaron este viernes.

At least 25 migrants who have been waiting in Mexico for months while they seek asylum in the U.S. have been allowed into the country, part of the Biden administration efforts to roll back the Trump-era policy known as “Remain in Mexico.” CEO Michael Hopkins is interviewed.

A group of 25 asylum seekers was allowed into the United States on Friday, a United Nations official said, the start of efforts to unwind one of former President Donald Trump’s most restrictive immigration policies, which forced thousands to wait in Mexico for their U.S. cases to be heard. Jewish Family Service will provide services to the migrants once they are in the U.S.

CEO Michael Hopkins speaks on behalf of Jewish Family Service’s efforts as part of the San Diego Rapid Response Network (SDRRN) to provide services for many more asylum seekers as the numbers start to increase.

Biden administration officials had stressed in English and Spanish communications that only people contacted ahead of time would be allowed in Friday while others needed to register online and wait. A San Diego aid group working with the returning migrants said they received a total of 25 people Friday.

Once migrants crossed the border, organizations in the region took over, including Jewish Family Service, a non-profit organization that works with migrants and has a leading role in the effort.

The asylum seekers who arrived Friday were transported to a hotel in San Diego where they’ll quarantine for a period before relocating, said Michael Hopkins, CEO of Jewish Family Service of San Diego.

Advocates point to misleading media reports, rumors and smugglers’ lies encouraging asylum seekers to try crossing before policy changes are in place. In the past week or so, the number of families received by Jewish Family Service has increased, though the numbers are still much lower than other times in the shelters’ history. Most of these additional families were caught crossing illegally into the United States by Border Patrol, according to Kate Clark of Jewish Family Service. Kate Clark and Luis Gonzalez, both members of JFS’s immigration team are interviewed.

The Biden Administration announced plans to allow tens of thousands of asylum-seekers waiting in Mexico for their next immigration court hearings into the United States while their cases proceed. Jewish Family Service of San Diego housed 191 asylum-seekers the first 10 days of February after they were released by U.S. authorities, up from 144 in January and 54 in December, said Eitan Peled, JFS’s border services advocate.

Since January, hundreds of migrant families seeking asylum have found themselves north of the border after being released by Border Patrol agents. JFS is leading the response in San Diego, together with our partners at the San Diego Rapid Response Network. Interview with JFS Border Service Advocate, Eitan Peled.

Llegan más a la frontera. Incluye una entrevista con Kate Clark del equipo de inmigración de Jewish Family Service.

At least 11 migrant women sent to Mexico border towns without birth certificates for newborns since last March. Luis M. Gonzalez, JFS Immigration Attorney, is interviewed.

Our work to restore and rebuild our nation’s asylum system is featured in a front-page article in The New York Times. With our partners in the San Diego Rapid Response Network (SDRRN), we have forged a system to “welcome the stranger” unlike any other in the country and are fighting hard to re-envision and rebuild the process for asylum seekers arriving along our border. And now, as The New York Times article reports, San Diego is a model for how justly welcome asylum seekers while protecting public health during a pandemic. Kate Clark, Senior Director of Immigration, is interviewed.

There is still a tremendous amount of work to be done. We look forward to collaborating with the Biden-Harris administration and our partner advocates throughout the California Welcoming Task Force to rebuild our nation’s rich tradition of helping those who are fleeing danger and seeking a better life.

The changes to how immigrant families are being processed appear to only be happening in some parts of the border. JFS’s Senior Director of Immigration, Kate Clark, reports a sizeable increase in asylum seekers in January compared to the past ten months.

NBC LX traveled to Mexico to see the experience through the eyes of two women attempting to gain asylum in the U.S. Luis M. Gonzalez, Esq., JFS Supervising Immigration Attorney, provides insight into the challenges they face even with a very serious health issue.

97 community organizations working bi-nationally along the California and Mexico Border delivered a letter to the Biden-Harris administration to express our vision for building a just and humane asylum system, detailing specific recommendations on how to welcome people seeking asylum into the U.S.

97 organizaciones comunitarias trabajando de forma binacional en la frontera entre California y México entregaron una carta a la Administración Biden-Harris para expresar nuestra visión para construir un sistema de asilo justo y humano, con detalles y recomendaciones específicas sobre cómo darle la bienvenida a personas solicitando asilo a los EEUU.

While the Biden Administration has taken very positive first steps to end the Remain in Mexico program, there is still more to do to get families out of danger. Kate Clark, JFS Senior Director of Immigration, is interviewed about the increasing confusion and danger for those waiting in Mexico.

The support of the community is what makes the Safe Parking Program in Encinitas impactful for neighbors who have turned to their cars for shelter.

In this in-depth look at what is happening at the border as a result of President Biden’s actions, Kate Clark, JFS senior director of immigration, gives insight into future steps to help asylum seekers who have been trapped in Remain in Mexico protocols.

In response to the Biden administration’s announcement of the discontinuation of the Remain in Mexico policy, Melissa Crow, SPLC Senior Supervising Attorney provides a statement.

Focusing on the thousands of asylum seekers who have been trapped due to policies and the pandemic, Kate Morrisey interviews one family who is in Tijuana facing great danger and seeking assistance for their son. Our attorneys are actively trying to help.

The Jewish Family Service legal team has stood by Dreamers since the inception of DACA and has helped more than 700 individuals with applications and renewals. Read more about our commitment on page 40 in the digital version.

Maria Fernanda Madrigal Delgado, a JFS DACA client, is featured in this article about the recent judge’s orders to the Trump administration to reinstate protections for young immigrants brought to the country as children. While the decision was favorable news, their status remains precarious.