It’s morning once more within the border group of Yuma, Arizona, however there’s nonetheless work to be carried out to make sure long-term safety and to scrub up leftover challenges.
Yuma County Supervisor Jonathan Strains defined the challenges confronted within the wake of a excessive inflow of migrants into the group at occasions all through the Biden administration.
“Chaos first, and abandoned second,” Strains, a Republican, mentioned of the border below former President Joe Biden, however mentioned it’s “controlled” below President Donald Trump.
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A U.S. Border Patrol agent checks for identification of immigrants as they wait to be processed after crossing the border from Mexico in Yuma, Arizona, on Dec. 30, 2022. (Qian Weizhong/VCG through Getty Pictures)
Within the Yuma sector alone, there have been a whole lot of hundreds of migrant encounters throughout the Biden administration. In February, there have been 8,326 unlawful border crossings marked down by United States Customs and Border Safety. The variety of folks positioned a pressure on native assets within the space, together with the native hospital.
“The message is that we’d like our not-for-profit hospital to be reimbursed to the tune of about $32 million. That’s auditable costs… it caused undue burdens here in our local communities,” Strains mentioned.
Fox Information Digital reported in 2023 that the Yuma Regional Medical Middle needed to take care of thousands and thousands in unpaid medical prices given the variety of unlawful immigrants that got here in for care.
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Building begins to fill gaps within the border wall in Yuma, Arizona, on Aug 12, 2022. (Workplace of Gov. Doug Ducey)
“Our food bank was impacted, as well as kind of the medical community as a whole, just because of fentanyl,” Strains mentioned.
“We’ve seen a significant impact of fentanyl here in the community. One of my best friends just lost his oldest nephew two weeks ago. The pills are being sold for about $2.50. There needs to be serious consequences for the Chinese and for the cartels that are dealing and pushing this product into the United States,” he added.
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In 2022, former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey positioned metallic storage containers alongside a few of the gaps in Yuma, which have been ultimately taken down due to authorized motion from the federal authorities. Now, development of everlasting border wall panels in gaps alongside the border within the space is underway, following a reversal of Biden’s insurance policies as soon as Trump retook workplace.
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Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem joins an ICE raid in New York Metropolis on Tuesday. Noem mentioned communities will likely be safer due to focused raids that go after legal unlawful immigrants. (Division of Homeland Safety)
“As of today, we’re starting seven new miles of construction, we’re going to continue to make America safe again,” Division of Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem mentioned in a video posted to X on March 16.
The area grew to become a key focus for politicians on the 2024 marketing campaign path, with many stopping for visits regardless of not operating in geographical border states themselves — a key indicator that border safety and immigration have been a high concern for American voters.
“Every state has been impacted by the human trafficking as well as the trafficking of narcotics. For the last four years, as I’ve traveled throughout the United States, every single community leader or member of a community has approached me saying that they have never seen such an impact from narcotics and from illegal immigration in their communities, and that their resources to provide for the individuals in their community have been exhausted,” Strains mentioned.