In a tweet, Monday, Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls said Migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. are being released in Yuma and San Luis - again.
In a tweet, Monday, Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls said Migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. are being released in Yuma and San Luis - again.
It was in 2019 when Mayor Nicholls sounded the alarm for migrant releases, by declaring a city emergency.
Nicholls was informed of migrant releases directly from Border Patrol. It was a continuation of a strong relationship between the city and the Yuma Sector Border Patrol, Nicholls shared with KAWC's Kim Johnson.
When there are 'community critical issues' there is communication to make sure there are no surprises, and so appropriate resources can be addressed.
While the number of releases is nowhere near what the community saw in 2019, Border Patrol has warned the city that it should prepare for the possibility of long-term releases locally.
However, the Mayor says COVID-19 has made this different here than in 2019. The area's non-profits were the backbone of efforts then, but now they do not have the resources to mount such a humanitarian effort. The Mayor says that in part because of the lack of donations.
Housing large groups of people like it were done two years ago poses a challenge amid mitigation efforts and housing large groups, Nicholls said.
Mayor Nicholls hopes to get the migrants released to shelters in Phoenix and Tucson.
