Immigrant advocates are labeling camps near the US-Mexico border wall in Jacumba Hot Springs, California, as open-air detention centers (OADs), according to a report by The Guardian. These camps, housing over 200 asylum seekers, have become focal points for those navigating the gaps in the border wall, seeking refuge while awaiting processing.
Despite assertions by US Border Patrol that the individuals at these sites are not in detention, the issuance of wristbands and specific directives on where to be raises questions about the nature of their situation, as highlighted by Jacqueline Arellano, the director of US programs for the migrant relief organization Border Kindness.
