Yuma mayor says release of detained migrants in Arizona will flood town

YUMA, ARIZ .– – Overwhelmed border officials are now releasing dozens of migrants to a rural community in southern Arizona, and that leaves local leaders concerned, saying they are not equipped to deal with it.

As the Biden administration begins to focus on immigration reform, this prompts many newcomers to try to cross – but the borders are still closed and it causes some confusion and battle in border towns.

Detention centers are filling up quickly in Yuma, Ariz., But strict social distancing guidelines now require immigration officers to release some migrants in town with a date to later appear in court.

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 distancing guidelines, has caused some facilities to reach maximum level of security. It has long been a practice that when long-term detention solutions are not possible, some migrants will be returned, given an appearance notice and released in the United States pending a future immigration hearing, immigration process, balancing it against the ongoing pandemic, we will continue to use all current authorities to avoid keeping individuals in an ensemble indefinitely. “

Yuma Mayor Douglas Nicholls said his border town was not ready to deal with an influx of new arrivals.

“In the last week, for about a week, they have been released into the community, so far we have had about 170 people released into the community, but we don’t have a shelter system, we don’t. have none. resources really put in place to meet the needs and help with the transition to their ultimate location, ”said Nicholls.

This is not the first time that cities have faced a sudden increase in population.

In 2019, ahead of then President Donald Trump’s “Stay in Mexico” program, Nicholls said they had to set up a temporary shelter to house the new migrants. He says they saw about 5,700 people released in Yuma County in just three months. As this shelter was only temporary, they have nowhere to lodge them.

“I expect it won’t get easier, I expect it to get more difficult over the next few months,” said Nicholls.

Borders are still closed to non-essential travel due to the coronavirus pandemic. So far, only asylum seekers who are part of the old “Stay in Mexico” program are being processed and are allowed to enter the United States. There are about 25,000 people in this program, and they are told where to go through a virtual registration process. They are only being processed at points of entry in San Diego, Brownsville and soon El Paso.

However, the possibility of expanding immigration laws under the new administration and escaping the ongoing violence in Central America encourages more people to head to our southern borders. The White House said: “The borders are not open and this is only the first phase of the administration’s work to reopen access to an orderly asylum process.” The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said people should not make the trip to reach the border.

Nicholls said they should have been consulted more on the changes. “It’s a bit of mixed feelings. First, I can’t believe we’re here again, kind of an answer, but second, it’s frustration, because there have been changes that have been made, there has been no contact with our local community to try to prepare for this, from the administration or even a discussion of how we react if this happens, there has been no consideration, ”he said. “There haven’t been any discussions about grants or the deployment of FEMA. When you make changes to immigration the impacts are vast and I think we need to take a minute and figure out what those impacts will be and how the federal government can respond. to those. “

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Nazanin Ash, vice president of policy and advocacy for the international humanitarian group International Rescue Committee, said the treatment of asylum seekers “Stay in Mexico” is a good start but more needs to be done. new migrants and all those who are released. Those released in Yuma will need help and quickly.

“Applying for asylum is not a crime,” Ash said. “When they are fleeing violence and persecution, the whole idea of ​​asylum is that it is urgent, your need for safety is urgent.”

The group helps provide accommodation, transport, legal advice and several other resources to migrants. They even operate a large shelter in Phoenix where many of these newcomers can go.

“So while places like Yuma are limited in their ability to deliver, there are other communities in Phoenix and elsewhere that have the support services and are ready to receive individuals,” Ash said. “Solutions are available, and they are communication, coordination, joint planning and funding.”

Local Yuma officials are currently working with federal officials on the need to transport migrants released from Yuma to major cities, including Phoenix.

“We are ready to partner with local, state and federal officials to ensure that we can safely and humanely treat these very vulnerable people in a way that you know respects our best values ​​as a nation.” , uphold our obligations to ensure the safety of people fleeing violence and persecution, and ensure that communities are safe and are not overburdened, ”Ash said.

Others in town just want things to be handled safely. The Yuma Regional Medical Center is the only hospital that has traveled for miles and is no stranger to helping sick and injured migrants. However, they are worried about more cases of COVID.

“Many people cross the border every day, here, legally or otherwise, for work or for some reason,” said Dr. Robert Trenschel, President and CEO of Yuma Regional Medical Center. “If people come into the country you have to have a negative COVID test, you can cross the border and no one needs a COVID test. So, you know, that definitely lends itself to continued transmission of the disease. . “

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The Department of Homeland Security says anyone in 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 infected. However, it is not known if people outside of this program who cross daily will be tested for the infection.

“It will definitely have an impact on us, because either people are going to introduce new cases of COVID, or a potentially new variant, or they will just, you know, be infected with COVID themselves and infect people who don’t. haven’t been infected here yet, or haven’t been able to get the vaccine yet, because the vaccine supply for that region has been very, very slow and that would definitely have a negative impact, ”Trenschel said .

Nicholls said it’s not just a problem at Yuma – it’s a national problem. He works with state and federal officials, as well as others to develop a plan for newcomers.