Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls on Thursday proclaimed a local emergency due to what he said is a humanitarian crisis of rising numbers of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border near Yuma.
Mayor Nicholls said the U.S. Customs and Border Protection reports more than 6,000 migrants crossing from Mexico into the U.S. in the past five days through the Yuma area.
Nicholls said the migrant surge continues to strain local medical staff and hospital resources. He said federal and state resources are needed to address the crisis. He also said migrants are passing on foot through active agricultural fields, which results in food safety concerns and the destruction of crops.
On Tuesday, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey stood with Nicholls and local Republican elected officials near the Morelos Dam in Yuma to blame the Biden administration for the rising number of migrants, which has been reported in recent years including the previous administration.
