On Thursday, Arizona State Representative Tim Dunn, from the Yuma area, criticized the federal government’s decision to release migrants into border communities when their holding facilities are at capacity and called for Arizona Governor Doug Ducey to declare an emergency.
On the same day, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen sent a letter to Congress asking for new authorities to deport and the migrants. She wrote that the Department of Homeland Security is “increasingly unable” to uphold its responsibility to control the situation at the southern border. Nielsen explain, “We are grappling with a humanitarian and security catastrophe that is worsening by the day, and the Department has run out of capacity.”
Related article: Sinema Urged To Protect Arizona As CBP Agents Sent To Plug Holes In Texas
“Yuma and other border cities simply don’t have the resources to handle an influx of
migrants released into the community,” said Dunn in a press release. “It’s unbelievable that
ICE is putting both the migrants and the communities in this situation. Even worse, this
policy is likely to motivate even more migrants to cross the border. The emergency on the
border has escalated to a crisis situation that will continue to cause a run on our southern
border.”
While Dunn is blaming President Trump, current law forces agents to essentially “catch and release” the massive numbers of Central Americans declaring refugee status.
Dunn wants Trump and Congress to “utilize emergency orders and take other steps to help border communities, such as:
• Provide adequate administrative law judges to adjudicate immigration cases.
• Reimburse local governments for costs associated with illegal immigration.
• Negotiate repatriation agreements with Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala.
• Immediately dispatch FEMA to provide emergency housing and resources to assist ICE
while migrants wait for their hearing.”
According to Dunn, Arizona has been impacted due to a mumps outbreak at ICE holding facilities in Eloy and Florence and overcrowding at other facilities.
We have a dire situation at the border. Late last year, DHS apprehended or encountered 50-60k migrants a month. Last month, it was more than 75k, the highest in over a decade. This month, we are on track to interdict nearly 100,000 migrants. Congress must act to end this crisis!
— Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen (@SecNielsen) March 29, 2019
ICE has been forced to begin releasing migrants into communities in Yuma and Pima counties with no sponsors, food, or anticipation of shelter.
[metaslider id=65385]
Dunn claims that “infected individuals are not among the migrants being released into the community, but this outbreak does prevent the ability of these facilities to house individuals due to directing resources to quarantines.”
“While this is clearly a failure of the federal government, it’s imperative that the state do
all that it can to assist these communities such as declaring a state of emergency,” said
Representative Dunn. “I am proud that we are a compassionate nation, but our border
communities simply don’t have the resources to sustain this over the long-term.”