Yuma, Arizona, at the breaking point of asylum seekers, say officials

The southern border town of Yuma, Arizona, is arguing for aid related to the ongoing stream of migrants.

Mayor Doug Nicholls issued an emergency proclamation stating that the influx of directly released migrants into the community had become an "imminent threat" to the city.

The border patrol in Yuma has treated more than 1,000 migrants, mostly families and minors, over the past three days, according to azcentral.com

Federal officials of the state are reacting now. Among them, Republican Senator Martha McSally, who visited Yuma on Wednesday and spoke with Fox News.

"We should not allow this to continue," she said. "It's a pull factor." The crisis continues to worsen. "Cartels continue to benefit." The humanitarian crisis is serious. "We now hear reports that children are being recycled in America. to be brought back in. Because the message is sent if you come with a child, you will be let go. "

The Mayor's emergency appeal was to send more federal and state aid in the form of housing, food and medical supplies.

Nicholls said shelter organizers said they reached maximum capacity after border patrol officials announced plans to release an additional 120 migrants.

McSally wants her fellow Democrats to join her in Yuma so they can see for themselves the stress of local communities.

"Stop playing with this and stop playing with the extremes of your base," said the senator. "It is a simple solution … We have legislation, we are working on it, we have to vote in the Senate."

A dramatic increase in the number of migrants crossing the southern border to apply for asylum is under way. Mars was a record for level crossings, with numbers never seen in more than a decade. More than 115,000 immigrants have been arrested at the border. Border officials said that during this fiscal year, the number of family units apprehended increased by more than 300% compared to the same period of the 2018 fiscal year.

McSally said the burden on local communities is multiple: "It's unpaid care, be it in hospitals or in the education system, by d & # 39; Other means. This has never really been measured, but it is very real. So we have to solve the problems here because it impacts many people. "