California Town Becomes Immigration Flash Point - Protesters in Murrieta Vow to Block Undocumented Migrants After Turning Away Buses This Week

From The Wall Street Journal:

Since its settlement in the 1870s as ranch land owned by the Murrieta brothers, Basque sheep ranchers from Spain, this valley has been known for its hot springs and race horses—and more recently as a bedroom community to San Diego.

Now, this fast-growing city of 107,000 has gained another distinction: a flash point in the national debate over immigration.

This week, around 200 protesters turned away three buses filled with 140 undocumented migrants sent for processing to a U.S. Border Patrol outpost here, where they were to be processed before being sent to other locations to await deportation or asylum, according to federal officials. On Wednesday night, hundreds of residents showed up for a hourslong, emotional town hall meeting on the issue, mostly to voice their objections to the federal government sending any undocumented immigrants their way.

 

The migrants, mostly women and children, are part of an exodus from Central America that has swamped the southern border and taxed the immigration system. Many say they are attempting to escape escalating violence in their countries. The Obama administration has called the influx a "humanitarian crisis" and federal officials are attempting to find housing for migrants while they await deportation or asylum proceedings.

 

"This is not just a Murrieta situation. This is a national situation," she said, adding that American communities can't absorb the burdens of suddenly caring for thousands of migrants arriving without resources, and in some cases, with illnesses.

 

As of 2010, 55.7% of Murrieta residents identify as white alone (not Hispanic or Latino), compared with 40% of the state, according to the census.