The U.S. Border Patrol’s Yuma Sector usually sees a drop in migrants attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border when the weather heats up. But agents say they saw a brief spike as the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Border Patrol officials say a combination of immigration policies with other countries and the global coronavirus pandemic have led to lower migrant apprehensions in recent weeks. But Yuma Sector Agent Jose Garibay says that wasn’t the case at first.
“Once the pandemic hit, we still had people crossing in defiance of staying at home and trying to be healthy, they still wanted to cross illegally,” Garibay told KAWC.
Changes in immigration policy from the U.S. government have allowed Border Patrol agents to return migrants to their country of origin. Garibay said 293 migrants have been expelled in the past month and he said he expects that number to stay low during the summer months.
President Donald Trump is offering more details now about his plan to temporarily block some immigrants from coming into the United States. NPR reports last night, he said a pause of 60 days on green cards for foreigners could help protect jobs for U.S. citizens.
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Stay tuned to KAWC for more from Yuma Sector Border Patrol.
