U.S. Border Patrol migrant arrest numbers are at an all time low, as has been the case for months since before the current administration in Washington, D.C.
In the Yuma Sector, which covers 126 miles, Chief Patrol Agent Justin De La Torre said agents are arresting five migrants a day, down from as many as thousands a day during the peak in recent years.
Late last week, De La Torre spoke with reporters about how agents with Border Patrol Search, Trauma and Rescue (BORSTAR) are preparing to rescue migrants in remote areas of the desert and along the Colorado River as temperatures rise into triple digits.
"Border Patrol agents work tirelessly to prevent people from entering illegally," Chief De La Torre told KAWC. "BORSTAR agents are trained in rescue efforts to go out in remote areas."
With recent community reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests in Yuma County, De La Torre said Yuma Sector BP agents work closely with ICE.
"One thing they do is I-9 inspections when you apply for a job," he said. "ICE will visit companies including here in Yuma to make sure they’re hiring people who have legal status to work here."
The Yuma Sector has taken down a tent facility at its Yuma headquarters that was used to process migrants. There are reports that the local Border Patrol will open a new checkpoint east of Yuma to replace one long closed near Telegraph Pass that was crashed in to.
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Stay tuned to KAWC for continuing coverage of the U.S.-Mexico border and what local, state and federal efforts mean for residents on the borderlands here.
