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Increased border crossings leads to influx of migrants in San Diego homeless shelters

Inside of the bridge shelter run by Alpha Project near downtown in this undated photo.
Roland Lizarondo
Inside of the bridge shelter run by Alpha Project near downtown in this undated photo.

Migrants are turning up at San Diego’s homeless shelters and adding strain on providers. Downtown shelters are reporting an influx of asylum seekers who have nowhere else to go.

The increase is being driven by an easing of pandemic-related restrictions at the border and an increase in migrants being transported to San Diego from other states by federal authorities.

City officials and shelters are working to come up with a coordinated response to help migrants and the city’s homeless population — and to ease the pressure of homeless outreach providers facing an unprecedented challenge from a growing number of asylum seekers who have nowhere else to go.

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Lisa Halverstadt, senior investigative reporter for Voice of San Diego, joined Midday Edition on Tuesday with more on the story.