Bay Area community groups preparing for a potential influx of immigrants following the repeal of Title 42 are sounding the alarm, saying they'll soon need help themselves.
Community groups like Amigos de Guadalupe said they are already seeing the flow arrive.
"We’ve seen about 12 to 15 families come into our office seeking support that had come straight from the border," Jeremy Barousse with Amigos de Guadalupe said. "Families with literally just the clothes on their back, no money or other resources."
Amigos de Guadalupe provides temporary housing and referrals for health and other social services. Local agencies, including schools, say they'll also need assistance.
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"In light of the current situation we’re facing at the border, we’re asking the city, county, state and federal government to partner with Escuela Popular to ensure that we can provide the necessary resources to support the students and families that arrive at our school," Escuela Popular Director Patricia Reguerin said.
The call for help is echoed by San Jose Councilman Peter Ortiz.
"We must urge Gov. Newsom to secure federal funding that will support newly arrived families in order for them to get stabilized as they arrive to our county," he said.
Leisar Garcia crossed two borders four years ago as an unaccompanied minor from Guatemala. He said he came to the U.S. because he was having problems with gangs in his home country.
He said he sympathizes with the mass of immigrants who are on their way to the U.S. after the lifting of Title 42.
"We’re not here to hurt people or to take their land or their place," he said. "We came here just to work, make a future and help our family."
Garcia is in the U.S. under asylum status, working part-time and still studying as Escuela Popular, with dreams of one day becoming a painter or an art teacher. He said he appreciates the U.S. for giving him that shot.
"This country is special," he said. "There is a lot of culture, people from different countries. We can learn from them, learn new things from them."
