Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls has declared a state of emergency due to the large number of migrants approaching the U.S.-Mexico border in the past week.
Numbering between 4,000-6,000, the mass of people has overwhelmed border agents who are, following initial contact, telling hundreds of border crossers to wait in the desert for processing.
Part of Nicholl’s justification for the action is strain on the local hospital.
Yuma Regional Medical Center CEO Robert Trenschel says the hospital is treating about 25 migrants a day, some brought by BP agents, some arriving by Uber.
Trenschel says YRMC is already struggling with staffing levels and has stopped elective surgeries due to the Covid-19 pandemic. High levels of hospital capacity statewide have also put patient transfers from Yuma at a standstill. The influx of nightly migrant patients is an additional stress.
