Members of OC Minority Caucus and Newburgh Area Residents Assemble to Greet Asylum Seekers

While many officials and residents are angry that hundreds of asylum seekers were brought to the area despite an emergency judge's order, others came

to greet them and pledged that they could make the situation work. Being a hot topic, some left wing "progressives" called the county's response "xenophobic", while an extreme right wing resident threatened the violence. Orange County Legislator, Kevindaryan Lujan and other leaders of the democratic minority offered a caucus statement:

Kevindaryan Lujan - "As a child of Colombian immigrants, the challenges of migrants and asylum seekers is a personal one. I was deeply disappointed to see the xenophobic rhetoric and fear mongering that came from the county executive’s office in response to asylum seekers coming to Orange County. I was however, proud to see the response from our community members and the outpour of positive messages. While some people that passed by were emboldened by the Xenophobic tones and the false state of emergency, the vast majority of the people I encountered were ready to welcome the asylum seekers. I want to make it very clear. I unequivocally stand in opposition to any attempt to bully asylum seekers away and will work with allies to do every thing to ensure our county is on the right side of history. That includes using every legal tool possible to counter the weak state of emergency position that was put forward by the county executive, which I am confident has no legal ground. "