YUMA, Arizona (AP) – A new tent-like migrant temporary processing facility in Yuma, Arizona opened earlier this week to house asylum seekers in the United States, according to a Border Patrol official.
The 8,361-square-foot structure, erected in 20 days in a parking lot behind the main Yuma Sector building, can accommodate up to 500 people, according to Yuma Sun.
Yuma Sector Border Patrol spokesman Vincent Dulesky said the social distancing facility can accommodate 250 people and provides additional space for families and unaccompanied children arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border.
The facility’s security and cleaning are contracted so that agents cannot occupy it and they can continue to patrol the border, Dulesky said, adding that up to 450 people are arrested daily.
The new center is equipped with 24 computer stations that agents can use to gather information and screen migrants more quickly. It’s also weatherproof and air-conditioned with four living areas, a laundry, showers, and medical areas.
US Customs and Border Protection placed an order with Deployed Resources LLC in March to build the facility. It cost $ 25 million in the first four months of operation. The facility can remain operational for an additional 4 months for $ 4.6 million per month under the contract.
The federal agency reported that the number of people entering the country illegally has increased since April last year, partly due to deteriorating economic conditions caused by the coronavirus pandemic and natural disasters in the region.
As a result, the Yuma Sector has seen an increase in activity along its 200-kilometer stretch of border and has been unable to detain all of those arrested.
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