Almost 2,400% increase in Yuma activity compared to 2021 through 2020, says Border Patrol

The Yuma sector saw one of the largest increases in interactions at the border, making it a busy year for local border police

YUMA, Arizona (KYMA, KECY) – Over the past year, immigrants have come to the US from all over the world. However, the Yuma sector on the border has seen an increase in numbers that far surpasses any other.

In fiscal year 2021, which runs from October 2020 to September 2021, the Yuma Sector processed 114,000 encounters at the border, that number came from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Compared to fiscal 2020, that’s a nearly 2,400% increase, far exceeding the increased rates of the other nine sectors along the border. After another group crossing in December, Tony Reyes, chairman of the Yuma County’s board of directors, mentioned how difficult the elevation had been on site.

“We’re doing the best we can to deal with it. The numbers are pretty big and the needs are very different. We need to increase our processing capacity in a way, which is essentially what it boils down to, ”said Reyes. “This is still a federal program, the fact that it affects the local community is because the sheer numbers are just hard to manage.”

Border guards like warden Vincent Dulesky were on the front lines to deal with the problem. Dulesky explained in November how much he would see in a day.

“With 850 to 1,000 pieces per day, it becomes a logistical task,” said Dulesky.

At some point the numbers would get too overwhelming. On December 9, Yuma Mayor Douglas Nicholls declared a state of emergency for the city as over 6,000 immigrants had entered the city the week before.

County Supervisor Jonathan Lines responded shortly after the proclamation. He believes the move was necessary because the border patrol was reaching its limits.

“It was beyond the capabilities of the federal police to process these people and get them out of Yuma,” Lines said.

Since then, the numbers have become a bit more manageable as the state of emergency frees up more resources for local agents.

Comments are closed.