Border Patrol agents are urging people who are trying to cross the southern border illegally, to seek shelter or remain where they are this week due to expected freezing temperatures.
The trek north into the U.S. is always risky, but with temperatures dropping, the dangers can be fatal.
While much of the U.S. is experiencing extremely cold weather, Arizona’s temperatures are expected to remain moderate. However, overnight lows in southern Arizona can drop into the 20’s and much risk remains.
Last week, Yuma Mayor Douglas Nicholls proclaimed yet another local emergency due to the unprecedented numbers of migrants entering the city prior to being processed and released by Border Patrol. The influx of these illegal aliens entering the Yuma area is feeding an ever-worsening humanitarian crisis along the border.
A significant number of aliens are entering the Yuma area and federal agency personnel are struggling to manage their flow in the community and at federal facilities. Within the last five days, there have been reports of over 6,000 aliens crossing from Mexico into the United States through the Yuma area. The U. S. Customs and Border Protection reports the number of migrant encounters have increased by 2,647 percent since Oct. 1.