Published TUESDAY, December 5, 2023: 'Going With The Flow MIGRANT SURGE' Pictures by ZUMA Press award winning photographer K.C. Alfred: As the wind whipped through the camp under a gloomy afternoon sky, a dozen people from countries around the world huddled near a small bonfire trying to stay warm and keep the flames burning. Since September, residents in this remote border community in southeastern San Diego County have seen their population nearly double, jumping from 600 to 1,200 as migrants from around the world cross over into the US from Mexico. Customs and Border Protection blame the recent migrant surge on 'smugglers peddling disinformation to prey on vulnerable individuals.' Welcome to 'Going With The Flow MIGRANT SURGE'
© zReportage.com Issue #917 Story of the Week: Published TUESDAY, December 5, 2023: 'Going With The Flow MIGRANT SURGE' Pictures by ZUMA Press award winning photographer K.C. Alfred: As the wind whipped through the camp under a gloomy afternoon sky, a dozen people from countries around the world huddled near a small bonfire trying to stay warm and keep the flames burning. Since September, residents in this remote border community in southeastern San Diego County have seen their population nearly double, jumping from 600 to 1,200 as migrants from around the world cross over into the US from Mexico. Customs and Border Protection blame the recent migrant surge on 'smugglers peddling disinformation to prey on vulnerable individuals.' Welcome to 'Going With The Flow MIGRANT SURGE'

A young asylum seeking migrant tries to stay warm next to a fire in an open-air holding area next to the U.S.-Mexico border near the small, desert San Diego County community of Jacumba Hot Springs. Customs and Border Protection said it is 'surging all available resources to expeditiously and safely process migrants' and will 'continue to prioritize our border security mission as necessary in response to this evolving situation.'
© K.C. Alfred/ZUMA Press Wire

Female asylum seeking migrants from China wear masks and look out of a bus as they head out of the small, desert San Diego County border community of Jacumba Hot Springs to an migrant processing facility.
© K.C. Alfred/ZUMA Press Wire

Asylum seeking migrant children stand with their mothers as they try to stay warm next to a fire in an open-air holding area next to the U.S.-Mexico border near the small, desert San Diego County community of Jacumba Hot Springs. Hundreds of asylum seekers many with young children have been crossing the border into the United States daily and face cold nights, where they wait to be processed.
© K.C. Alfred/ZUMA Press Wire

Female asylum seeking migrants from China are handcuffed in pairs before boarding a bus near the small, desert San Diego County border community of Jacumba Hot Springs on their way to a processing facility. The U.S. Border Patrol made 22,187 arrests of Chinese people for crossing the border illegally from Mexico from January through September, nearly 13 times the same period in 2022.
© K.C. Alfred/ZUMA Press Wire

Asylum seeking migrants make shelters in an open-air holding area next to the U.S.-Mexico border near the small, desert San Diego County community of Jacumba Hot Springs. Hundreds of asylum seekers have been crossing the border into the United States daily and face cold nights, where they wait to be processed.
© K.C. Alfred/ZUMA Press Wire

Asylum seeking migrants from China try to stay warm next to a fire in an open-air holding area next to the U.S.-Mexico border near the small, desert San Diego County community of Jacumba Hot Springs. The U.S. is seeing a big increase in Chinese immigrants arriving using a relatively new and perilous route through Panama's Darien Gap jungle, thanks in part to social media posts and videos providing step-by-step guidance.
© K.C. Alfred/ZUMA Press Wire

Asylum seeking migrants from China try to stay warm next to a fire in an open-air holding area next to the U.S.-Mexico border near the small, desert San Diego County community of Jacumba Hot Springs. The U.S. is seeing a big increase in Chinese immigrants arriving using a relatively new and perilous route through Panama's Darien Gap jungle, thanks in part to social media posts and videos providing step-by-step guidance.
© K.C. Alfred/ZUMA Press Wire

Asylum seeking migrants make shelters in an open-air holding area next to the U.S.-Mexico border near the small, desert San Diego County community of Jacumba Hot Springs.
© K.C. Alfred/ZUMA Press Wire

An asylum seeking migrant family with young children from Columbia try to stay warm next to a fire in an open-air holding area next to the U.S.-Mexico border near the small, desert San Diego County community of Jacumba Hot Springs.
© K.C. Alfred/ZUMA Press Wire

Asylum seeking migrants from China are searched before boarding a bus near the small, desert San Diego County border community of Jacumba Hot Springs before heading to a processing facility.
© K.C. Alfred/ZUMA Press Wire

Male asylum seeking migrants are handcuffed in pairs as they board a bus near the small, desert San Diego County border community of Jacumba Hot Springs before heading to an immigrant processing facility.
© K.C. Alfred/ZUMA Press Wire

An asylum seeking migrant from China holds up his passport and paperwork as he is photographed by a U.S. Border Patrol agent in an open-air holding area as they prepare to board a bus to a processing facility near to the small, desert San Diego County border community of Jacumba Hot Springs.
© K.C. Alfred/ZUMA Press Wire

A female asylum seeking migrant from China holds up her passport and paperwork as she is photographed by a U.S. Border Patrol agent in an open-air holding area as they prepare to board a bus to a processing facility near to the small, desert San Diego County border community of Jacumba Hot Springs. The U.S. is seeing a big increase in Chinese immigrants arriving using a relatively new and perilous route through Panama's Darien Gap jungle, thanks in part to social media posts and videos providing step-by-step guidance.
© K.C. Alfred/ZUMA Press Wire

Asylum seeking migrants hold up their passports and paperwork as they are photographed by a U.S. Border Patrol agent in an open-air holding area as they prepare to board a bus to a processing facility near to the small, desert San Diego County border community of Jacumba Hot Springs.
© K.C. Alfred/ZUMA Press Wire

Asylum seeking migrants are searched before boarding a bus near the small, desert San Diego County border community of Jacumba Hot Springs before heading to a immigrant processing facility.
© K.C. Alfred/ZUMA Press Wire

Asylum seeking migrants are handcuffed in pairs before boarding a bus near the small, desert San Diego County border community of Jacumba Hot Springs before heading to a processing facility.
© K.C. Alfred/ZUMA Press Wire

Asylum seeking migrants, handcuffed in pairs, head to board a bus near the small, desert San Diego County border community of Jacumba Hot Springs before heading to a processing facility.
© K.C. Alfred/ZUMA Press Wire

Asylum seeking migrants, handcuffed in pairs, board a bus near the small, desert San Diego County border community of Jacumba Hot Springs before heading to a processing facility.
© K.C. Alfred/ZUMA Press Wire