As courts continue to debate the fate of Title 42, a pandemic era policy that allows the U.S. to expel people at the border for public health reasons, migrants continue to gather at the border here in the Yuma Sector.
The migrants continue to line-up along the border despite the cold and the on-going debate over what to do about them.
About 300 migrants lined up in the early hours last Friday morning where the border fence meets Cocopah land in Yuma County. With temperatures in the 30s, many were bundled up, some starting small bonfires to keep warm.
One of the migrants out that morning was Karla. She left her home in Nicaragua for a better life in the U.S. She’s traveling with her infant daughter to meet a brother-in-law in Washington state.
“Every effort has its cost, its value and we continue fighting for our dream," Karla said in Spanish. "We won’t give up and we’ll move forward.”
For the past several months, Fernando Quiroz and volunteers with the Arizona-California Humanitarian Coalition have been out at the border daily. They meet with migrants like Karla, giving them water, granola bars, bananas and, these days, warm blankets and clothing.
“We’ve been talking about Title 42 for some time and the whistles are blowing," Quiroz said. "We have to be prepared whether the numbers (of migrants) increase or not. Local political leaders need to find a solution that can better fit the needs of these individuals.”
Quiroz said the group's work has not been changed by the shipping containers outgoing Gov. Doug Ducey put up in Yuma County. He does say the group is looking for volunteers and donations from Yuma County residents.
Last week, a group of migrants rights activists from around the country called Witness at the Border stopped in Yuma. They traveled from Brownsville, Tex. to San Diego to meet migrants and see the reality on the ground.
Joshua Rubin is the group’s founder.
“The border is not chaos, the border is chaos," Rubin said.
"We’ve been on this journey along the border and we’ve seen some things that have made our hearts hurt so bad. If people came out here, hearts would change.”
One of the migrants huddled around a campfire along the border is Beuri. He’s 25 years old, from the Dominican Republic.
“I have seen persecution, kidnappings, it has been very difficult indeed," Beuri said in Spanish. "But the economy in my country is very bad.”
Beuri asks Americans to remember the people behind the headlines at the border.
“We ask that they support us," he said. "We just want a better future for our families. We’re not trying to do something wrong.”
