Yuma, Arizona, Mayor Douglas Nicholls is demanding immediate action from the federal government as scores of immigrants are set to be released into his community on Friday.
Title 42, which sunsets Thursday night, is a COVID-19 pandemic-era order that allowed many migrants to be expelled from the country under public health circumstances. It’s been one of the few tools left for law enforcement to quell a surge of immigrants coming from Mexico and Central America.
“It’s time that the president announce a declaration of national emergency,” Nicholls said at a news conference Thursday, mentioning that he wrote a letter to President Joe Biden asking for resources.
The mayor said that Customs and Border Protection is planning for 141 releases in the area on Friday, 91 within the city of Yuma itself, saying these people have been “vetted.”
“We live under the fear of street releases, but the president has done nothing to aid us here and now,” he added.
The mayor appeared at a news conference with Gov. Katie Hobbs and law enforcement officials earlier this week to discuss the state’s plan to handle the crisis worsening. Although few specific details were divulged outside of additional transportation resources, Hobbs said that executive action to order National Guard troops on the border is a reactive possibility.
The Yuma sector is a hub for illegal immigration activity, as over 114,000 encounters have been reported by Customs and Border Protection in fiscal year 2023 so far. Over 8,000 of those encounters resulted in a Title 42 expulsion. Many of these encounters are single adults.
On the state level, Arizona House Republicans expressed their concerns about what might come next at the southern border.
“With each passing day, illegal immigration grows, more deadly fentanyl pours through our borders, more young girls are pushed into border-related sex trafficking, and law enforcement officers are killed in the line of duty, all because leaders of our federal government refuse to protect the nation. We demand that change now. The border must be made safe and secure,” they said in a statement. “While the state cannot do the job of the federal government, House Republicans will continue working to ensure the state prioritizes safety, security, and the protection of the people of Arizona.”
Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
