SAN DIEGO — Tomorrow, Governor Gavin Newsom will meet with local leaders and community members who say the President’s divisive rhetoric and his immigration policies, like the so-called “national emergency” and manufactured crisis on the border, are hurting border communities like San Ysidro. The group will discuss the dynamic nature of the border region as a center for commerce and community, and the Governor will share his deeply-held belief that California is strengthened by the families that live on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Governor Newsom’s visit to San Diego County comes as San Diego Rapid Response Network prepares to open a first-of-its-kind relief center for vulnerable immigrant populations in San Diego.
Since taking office, President Trump has implemented severely restrictive policies for legal asylum seekers, slowing asylum interviews and processing to a near halt. Meanwhile, the Trump Administration continues to dump asylum seekers on the side of the road in San Diego County without the appropriate preparation so they may reach their destinations safely.
During his transition, then Governor-Elect Newsom met with non-profit leaders and local officials spearheading efforts to aid asylum seekers. At the meeting, he promised he would move quickly once in office to provide state aid to help asylum seekers abandoned by the federal government. Once in office, the Governor fast-tracked and signed AB 72, his first bill, which established a rapid response relief fund with $5 million to support the San Diego Rapid Response Network. That funding has helped open the shelter and support safe transportation options for asylum seekers
At the roundtable, Governor Newsom will celebrate the opening of the shelter and point to it as a concrete example of how California is providing a positive alternative to the hateful policies and rhetoric emanating from Washington.
Roundtable with San Ysidro Community Members
Who: Governor Gavin Newsom, community members
When: Tomorrow, Thursday, March 7, 2019 at 9:45 a.m.
Where: El Rincon Restaurant, 119 W. San Ysidro Blvd. San Ysidro, CA 92173
**NOTE: This event is open to credentialed media only and space is limited. Reporters interested in attending must RSVP to Danella.Debel@gov.ca.gov by 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 7, 2019.
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