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Murrieta, California Mayor Alan Long explains why his residents blocked buses carrying immigrant detainees

He's a small city mayor -- but he's now at the heart of a big American debate. Earlier this week, hundreds of angry residents in Murrieta, California surrounded and blocked the passage of three buses carrying immigrant detainees -- most of them children. The protest took place at the urging of Alan Long, the Mayor of Murrieta. Mayor Long told...
CBC Radio ·

He's a small city mayor -- but he's now at the heart of a big American debate. Earlier this week, hundreds of angry residents in Murrieta, California surrounded and blocked the passage of three buses carrying immigrant detainees -- most of them children. The protest took place at the urging of Alan Long, the Mayor of Murrieta. Mayor Long told residents to express their anger at the federal government's decision to bring the detainees to their city.

"There was a lot of passion on both sides of the protest lines and obviously that's not a reflection of the city of Murrieta... unfortunately, there are a few individuals who took it upon themselves to do some things that are quite embarrassing to be honest with you," Mayor Long tells As It Happens guest host Susan Bonner.

In particular, one protester had a sign that read "No Mas Perros," which is Spanish for "No More Dogs." When asked directly, Mayor Long denounced the sign.

Buses packed with undocumented migrants who were scheduled to be processed at the Murrieta Border Patrol Station retreat up the road after being stopped in their tracks by demonstrators in Murrieta, California on July 1, 2014. (Photo: Sam Hodgson/Reuters)

"These are people fleeing a less desirable place and no one should blame them for that," Mayor Long continues. "Our issue is the process by which they're getting here. I was asked if I'm against immigration, no, we have a border patrol office in our city that processes immigrants everyday. And no one protests that. We're protesting the much bigger issue that's at the federal level."

Mayor Long has taken issue with the federal government's decision to move its processing of illegal immigrants from the overwhelmed Texas Border Patrol to the Murrieta station in California. Since October, more than 52,000 unaccompanied minors have crossed the Texas-Mexico border in what the White House has described as a "humanitarian crisis."

The detainees being taken to Murrieta's Border Patrol facility for processing were eventually re-routed to San Diego for the safety of the passengers.

Protesters turn back three buses carrying 140 immigrants as they attempt to enter the Murrieta U.S. Border Patrol station for processing on Tuesday, July 1, 2014, in Murrieta, Calif.(Photo: David Bauman/The Press-Enterprise/AP)

Watch scenes from the July 1, 2014 protest in Murrieta, California:

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