Since March, the San Diego Convention Center has sheltered thousands of migrant children and facilitated over 2,400 family reunifications. With the emergency facility now closed, Congressman Peters thanks all those who stepped up to care for our young neighbors with great compassion.
Read more about the projects in this July 16th piece by the Times of San Diego, posted below:
Convention Center Ready to Reopen After Housing Nearly 2,400 Migrant Youth in âModel Programâ
July 16th, 2021
The convention center in downtown San Diego is ready to reopen for meetings after a successful program to temporarily house unaccompanied migrant children.
Mayor Todd Gloria was joined by Democratic members Congress and the county Board of Supervisors at a press conference on Thursday to mark the transition.
âThousands of vulnerable children hoping to escape unimaginable conditions in their home countries needed San Diegoâs help â and the people of San Diego responded,â Gloria said. âIn a matter of days, working together, we built a safe, nurturing home away from home for these kids, and in just a few months, we created a model program for the rest of the country to follow.â
Beginning in March, the convention center served as a federally controlled emergency intake site that helped reunite 2,408 migrant children with family members in the United States.
Under contracts with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, local nonprofit South Bay Community Services provided case management, Rady Childrenâs Hospital provided medical care, and the San Diego County Office of Education provided educational services.
The effort was lauded by federal officials as setting an example for the rest of the country.
âWe have a legal and moral obligation to safely care for unaccompanied children as we work to unite them with their parents or sponsors,â said Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. âFrom day one, the San Diego Emergency Intake Site accomplished this mission and served as a model for other emergency intake sites.â
Sen. Dianne Feinstein said the effort at the convention center âset the example for kindness and decency during an extraordinarily difficult and dangerous time for the health and welfare of migrant children.â
The convention center has been hiring for its reopening and the first event â a meeting of SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics â begins Aug. 1.
Rep. Scott Peters, whose district includes the downtown area, praised San Diegoâs âact of compassionâ and said the convention center âwill now return to its role as a major economic engine for our region.â