County Supervisor Jim Desmond testified before the House Committee on Homeland Security in Washington on Wednesday, telling lawmakers that the arrival of so many migrants — many of them asylum seekers — has strained San Diego County’s resources and raised concerns about how border-crossers entering the U.S. are vetted for security threats. The hearing, titled “A Country Without Borders: How the Biden-Harris Open-Borders Policies Have Undermined Our Safety and Security,” included former San Diego Chief Patrol Agent Aaron Heitke, the Santa Cruz County sheriff and the mother of a woman who was allegedly killed by an undocumented immigrant. Desmond, a Republican who represents North County areas, pointed to the estimated 155,000 newly arrived migrants who were released onto the streets of San Diego County after being processed by the U.S. Border Patrol from September 2023 to June. Supervisor Jim Desmond of District 5 listening to public comments in downtown on Jan. 9 in San Diego. (Alejandro Tamayo / U-T file) He shared with committee members how the county spent $6 million to operate a temporary migrant center to assist people who had recently been released and were on their way to their final destinations — but the facility had to close earlier than expected when funding ran out earlier this year. “Yes, that money could’ve been spent on our roads, infrastructure and parks,” he said. The county later secured $19.6 million in federal funding to resume migrant aid and is in contract negotiations with an operator to get a center up and running again. When asked about the costs the community has incurred as a result of the immigration situation along the border, Desmond said it was difficult to monetize because of the numerous agencies involved — from local hospitals that have treated an increased number of injured migrants to the San Diego airport where people have had to sleep before making their way to other parts of the U.S. “I don’t have an exact number, but I know it’s in the several millions of dollars,” he said. “That money should be staying in San Diego County, not being spent on migrant and immigration issues that are the purview of the federal government.” Desmond also expressed concern about the number of people deemed “got-aways,” or those who bypass law enforcement completely, and about the lack of resources to properly vet people who do come into contact with border officers. “We’ve got to be able to vet and make sure that we keep the bad people out,” he said. During the hearing, officials acknowledged that most of the people are coming to work, or to improve their lives. “The vast majority of the people coming are good, normal people, that have gone through extremely bad situations,” Heitke said. In June, President Joe Biden implemented an executive order limiting asylum along the border, a move that has been credited with helping curtail border crossings. With migrant apprehensions down, there have been no street releases in the county for the past two months, officials said, as newly released people have been accepted by local shelters that haven’t been as overwhelmed as usual. Rep. Mike Levin, a Democrat from San Juan Capistrano who represents coastal North County, toured the Border Patrol’s Boulevard Station on Monday to examine the impact the executive action has had on the border region. “I think things have substantially improved,” Levin said in a phone interview Wednesday. “It’s important that we are honest about what is happening and the facts on the ground.” The number of migrant encounters in the Border Patrol’s San Diego sector has declined month by month since May, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. Former U.S. chief Border Patrol agent for the San Diego sector, Aaron Heitke, speaks to the media Feb. 3, 2022. (Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG) From June to August, the number of encounters within the sector dropped by 43 percent. Officials have attributed this to both the executive action and the increased cooperation with Mexico. Still, the San Diego sector remained the busiest sector along the U.S.-Mexico border in August with 14,436 encounters, according to data released this week. The Department of Homeland Security has removed or returned more than 131,000 people to more than 140 countries since the executive order went into effect. Levin said that because apprehensions are down, the Border Patrol can focus “on their core responsibility” and staff traffic inspection checkpoints to detect drugs, as well as spend more time vetting people entering the country. Earlier this year, Mexican officials set up inspection camps on their side of the border, guarded by immigration agents and armed soldiers, to close gaps along the fence or deter people from crossing. Levin said such strategies have made a difference. Heitke, who led the Border Patrol’s San Diego sector from 2020 to 2023, agreed that Mexico’s help to slow migration was a factor in the decline. “While current numbers of aliens crossing our border are lower in comparison to recent months and years, there is a reason for this. After nearly four years, this administration finally started to ask Mexico for help in slowing down traffic through their country,” Heitke said during the hearing. “This and other actions make a difference, but why has it taken so long?” Mexico is in the midst of a transition and will have a new federal government next month. The White House announced Wednesday that First Lady Jill Biden will lead a delegation to attend the inauguration of President Claudia Sheinbaum on Oct. 1. Levin said he hopes the cooperation between the two countries will continue. He said he expects Mexico’s inspection camps to remain in place through the end of the year and that they will work with officials to keep them in place as needed.