The Biden administration’s lax border policies are pushing the border city of Yuma, Arizona, to the brink of collapse as it deals with a surge in illegal immigration and threatens the region’s vital food production, locals say. officials said.
Yuma County Superintendent Jonathan Lines said, “When we see unprecedented amounts of people coming across the border to replace what has been seen under other presidents in the last 30 years, policy needs to change. There is,” he said. fox news“They’re coming because Biden told them to come. We have open borders.”
About five million illegal immigrants have crossed the southern border since President Joe Biden took office, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data. Between 2021 and his 2022, crossings jumped him 171% in Yuma, Arizona.
The city of Yuma, located in Yuma County, Arizona, has a population of about 97,000, according to the latest estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. A surge in immigration threatens the city’s food security, while also stressing basic infrastructure such as food banks and hospitals.
Hank Awza, a fifth-generation farmer, told Fox News he expects a large wave of immigrants to come to Yuma soon that could “overwhelm the system.”
Impact on crop production
Alex Muller, president of Paschinelli Produce Company, said the border crisis is having a negative impact on the US food supply as illegal immigrants cross the country illegally and damage crops.
About 90% of America’s romaine and iceberg lettuce supply is grown in Yuma, and farmers in the region ship about nine billion servings of leafy greens each year. This agricultural product is now under threat from illegal immigration.
Muller said fox news Illegal immigrants are crossing the company’s fields near the border, and the crops must be destroyed because of the risk of food poisoning and contamination.
“This is our livelihood and we are very proud of what we do,” he said in an interview. There are a lot of things we can’t control, but what we can control is the people that come into the scene, the food safety situation, we can control those things, in terms of keeping the border a little bit safer. , seeking support from the government.”
Securing the border wall, cartel activity
On January 6, CBP announced it would begin plugging holes in Yuma’s border wall.
“The City of Yuma and Border Patrol agents worked around the clock to secure our borders and keep our communities safe, voicing the challenges that the barrier gap poses,” said Sen. Mark Kelly, Democrat. Arizona) said in a Jan. 19 press release. I will do my best to finish it as soon as possible.”
Mexican cartels are active in the border region, generating an estimated $13 billion in profits in 2022, up from $500 million in 2018. new york times report.
More than 100 known or suspected terrorists will be arrested at the Southern Border in 2022, according to CBP. That’s a lot more than his 26 arrests combined in the last five years.
