YUMA, ARIZ .– – Oppressed border officials are now releasing dozens of migrants into a rural community in southern Arizona, and this is making local leaders nervous, saying they are not equipped to deal with it.
As the Biden government begins to focus on immigration reform, it is attracting many newcomers to try to cross – but the borders are still closed and it is causing some confusion and battle in the border cities.
Detention facilities are filling up quickly in Yuma, Arizona, but strict social detachment guidelines are now forcing immigration authorities to release some migrants to the city with a date to appear in court later.
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) told Fox News in a statement: “CBP has seen a steady increase in border encounters since April 2020, which, compounded by COVID-19 restrictions and social detachment guidelines, has done certain facilities to achieve maximum security retention capacity. According to long-standing practice, when long-term retention solutions are not possible, some migrants will be prosecuted for removal, will receive a Notice of Attendance and will be released in the U.S. to await a future immigration hearing. As the Administration reviews the current immigration process, balancing it with the ongoing pandemic, we will continue to use all current authorities to avoid keeping individuals in a congregated environment for any period of time. . “
Detention facilities are rapidly filling in Yuma County, AZ, but strict social detachment guidelines are now forcing immigration officials to release some migrants to the city with a date to appear in court later (Stephanie Bennett / Fox News) .
Yuma’s mayor, Douglas Nicholls, says his border town is not prepared to deal with a flow of newcomers.
“In the last week, throughout the week, they were released into the community, we had about 170 people released to the community so far, but we don’t have a shelter system, we don’t have any kind of resources really set up to meet needs and help in the transition to your final location, “said Nicholls.
This is not the first time that cities have faced a sudden increase in people.
In 2019, before President Donald Trump’s “Stay in Mexico” program, Nicholls said they needed to create a temporary shelter to house new migrants. He says they saw about 5,700 people released in Yuma County in just three months. Since that shelter was only temporary, they have nowhere to shelter them.
“I hope it doesn’t get any easier, I hope it gets more difficult in the coming months,” said Nicholls.
The borders are still closed to non-essential travel because of the pandemic. Essential workers are still allowed to cross, including thousands of migrant workers who flock to Yuma at this time of year to help harvest lettuce (Stephanie Bennett / Fox News).
The borders are still closed to non-essential travel because of the coronavirus pandemic. So far, only asylum seekers who are part of the old “Stay in Mexico” program are being prosecuted and are allowed to enter the United States. There are about 25,000 people in that program, and they are notified of where to go through a virtual registration process. They are processing only at ports of entry in San Diego, Brownsville and soon in El Paso.
However, the possibility of expanding immigration laws under the new administration and escaping the continuing violence in Central America is encouraging more people to move to our southern borders. The White House said: “The borders are not open and that this is just the first phase of the government’s work to reopen access to an orderly asylum process.” The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said people should not make the journey to reach the border.
Nicholls said they should have been consulted more about the changes. “It is a mixture of feelings. One, I cannot believe that we are here again, type of response, but two, it is frustration, because there were changes that were made, there was no contact with our local community to try to prepare for it, since the government or even a discussion of how we will react if that happens, there was no consideration, “he said.” There were no talks about subsidies or FEMA being implemented. When you make changes to immigration, the impacts are vast and I believe we need to stop a minute and find out what those impacts will be and how the federal government can respond to those. “
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Nazanin Ash, vice president for policy and defense for the global humanitarian group International Rescue Committee, said that prosecuting asylum seekers “Remain in Mexico” is a good start, but more needs to be done for new migrants and all who are being released. . People released in Yuma will need help and quickly.
“Seeking asylum is not a crime,” said Ash. “When they are fleeing violence and persecution, the whole idea of asylum is that it is urgent, their need for security is urgent.”
The group helps provide migrants with housing, transportation, legal advice and various other resources. They still operate a large shelter in Phoenix, where many of these newcomers can go.
The possibility of expanding immigration laws with the new government and escaping continuing violence in Central America is encouraging more people to move to our southern borders (Stephanie Bennett / Fox News).
“So while places like Yuma have limited capacity to provide services, there are other communities in Phoenix and others that have support services and are ready to receive individuals,” said Ash. “The solutions are available and it is about communication, coordination, joint planning and financing.”
Local Yuma officials are currently working with federal officials on the need to transport released migrants in Yuma to larger cities, including Phoenix.
“We are ready to partner with local, state and federal officials to ensure that we can safely and humanity prosecute these very vulnerable individuals in a way that, you know, upholds our best values as a nation, upholds our obligations to provide security for people flee violence and persecution and ensures that communities are safe and not overwhelmed, “said Ash.
Others in the city just want things to be handled safely. The Yuma Regional Medical Center is the only hospital in kilometers and is no stranger to helping sick or injured migrants. However, they are concerned about more COVID cases.
“Many people cross the border every day, here, legally or not, to work or for any reason,” said Dr. Robert Trenschel, president and CEO of Yuma Regional Medical Center. “If people are flying into the country, you need to have a COVID test that is negative, you can cross the border on foot and no one needs a COVID test. So, you know, it definitely lends itself to the continuous transmission of disease. “
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The Department of Homeland Security says that everyone who is part of the “Stay in Mexico” program will be tested for COVID-19 and other diseases and will not be allowed to enter the United States if they are infected. However, it is not clear whether people outside this program and who are crossing on a daily basis will be tested for infection.
“It will certainly have an impact on us, because either people will present new cases of COVID, or a potentially new variant, or simply, you know, they will be infected with COVID and infect individuals who haven’t been infected here yet, or who haven’t been able to get the vaccine yet, because vaccine delivery to this area has been very, very slow and would definitely have an adverse impact, “said Trenschel.
Nicholls said that this is not just a problem at Yuma – it is a national problem. He is working with state and federal officials, as well as others, to come up with a plan for newcomers.