Officials with the Yuma Sector of U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Thursday that migrants who cross through the border region are in danger of overheating in the desert.
Deputy Chief Patrol Agent Dustin Caudle said migrants are welcome to present themselves at ports of entry, however, Border Patrol agents are ready to respond when rescues are needed.
“We do go out there and rescue anybody in need," Deputy Chief Caudle told KAWC. "We have placards and rescue beacons… and Border Patrol agents or our local partners will be responding… so everyone that needs help will receive it.”
Caudle’s remarks came at a press conference that included officials from the Consulate of Mexico in Yuma and the Consulate of Guatemala in Tucson. Mexican aide-groups were also on hand to warn against extreme heat conditions in the months ahead.
The deputy chief says Yuma Sector BP is preparing for a surge as Title 42 restrictions limiting processing are expected to end in early May.
He said they are preparing for the worst as the Title 42 migrant protocol is set to expire. The agency is already seeing an increase in migrant traffic.
Caudle said he could not estimate specific numbers of what Yuma County could see but did say the Yuma Sector currently sees about 500 apprehensions a day. That’s up from recent months.
“We are preparing for an increase in cross-border traffic at the end of Title 42," he told KAWC. "I think everyone across the southwest border is. However, we’ve got increased personnel. We have increased capacity. We’ve made great advancements in our processing capabilities so we are ready for the influx and we’ll continue to do our job each and every day.”
Title 42 is the pandemic-era policy that allowed Border Patrol to keep migrants from entering the U.S. It’s set to end May 11.
Deputy Chief Caudle said about 90 percent of migrants apprehended in the Yuma Sector are not from Mexico.
CBP officials said they have made 346 desert and water rescues so far in this fiscal year. For recoveries, there were 52 in all of 2022 and 15 so far this year.
Dulce Maria Valle Alvarez, the Mexican consul in Yuma, said the local consulate notifies Mexican migrants of their rights. She said shelters including the Casa Del Migrante La Divina Providencia in San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico may get full when Title 42 ends.
Among the agencies in Yuma Thursday was C5 from Sonora. That's the Centro de Comando, Control, Cómputo, Comunicaciones y Contacto Ciudadano or Control, Command, Communication, Computer and Quality Center.