Hearings are open to the public – reports FOX 9’s Adam Klepp

YUMA, Arizona (KECY, KYMA) – Yuma City Hall will host hearings with Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee.

The hearing is Thursday, February 23rd.

A 15-man delegation, led by President Jim Jordan, is currently in Yuma touring the border and meeting with local law enforcement.

“Finding out what the challenges are specifically and how to address them is the mission of fact-finding,” said county superintendent Jonathan Lines.

Lines is one of the local witnesses the commission will ask questions at the hearing, as are Yuma Regional Medical Center CEO Robert Trenschel and Yuma County Sheriff Leon Wilmot.

The number of local border crossings is down from last year while the congressman arrives, but it’s still at a historic high.

About 2,000 migrants cross the border illegally every week.

Immigrants like Miguel Aviro from the Dominican Republic.

“My country is beautiful, but there are unemployment and other problems. I decided to come here to make life better for my family,” Aviro said.

While the railroad crossing is going down According to Customs and Border Protection, drug seizures in the Yuma area are now up 25% from last year.

However, the much higher drug seizures in 2020 before the surge in immigration travel may be due to investigators having more time to retrieve drugs.

“This proves that border agents can do their job when they can focus on their primary mission of border security and national security,” Lines said.

Thursday’s hearings at City Hall begin at 2:00 pm and are open to the public, with seating on a first-come, first-served basis.

“Transparency is the best sanitizer. By exposing everything and having all the discussions, people know exactly what’s going on,” Lines said.

If you are unable to attend the local hearings in person, you can watch the live stream here.