"Breaking Point": Cities Struggle with Increasing Asylum Seekers; U.S. Foreign Policy Linked to Rise

A sharp increase in the number of people attempting to cross into the United States is straining resources in border communities, as thousands of asylum seekers arrive at the southern U.S. border each day seeking safety from violence, conflict, extreme poverty and the impacts of the climate crisis. Congressmember Jesús "Chuy" García of Illinois says decades of U.S. military interventions, sanctions and the war on drugs "are all important factors" in what is driving the migration, particularly from South and Central America. "We need a system that responds both compassionately and responds to the root causes of why people come to this country," he says. We also speak with Fernando García, founder and executive director of the Border Network for Human Rights in El Paso, who says the lack of leadership from the federal government is causing hardship along the border for both asylum seekers and local communities struggling to welcome the newcomers. "Nothing has been done — not by this administration, obviously, and much less from the previous administration. So we are seeing the same situations over and over," he says.