WASHINGTON, DC (KGUN) — The federal government will stop enforcing COVID health rules in about two weeks. This has resulted in far fewer asylum seekers entering the United States. It has also become much easier to deport people who are already here.

Communities in Arizona fear they will be overwhelmed with asylum seekers when the rules, dubbed Title 42, are lifted.

Some community leaders testified before a Senate subcommittee chaired by Senator Kirsten Cinema. KGUN9 monitored the Washington hearings online from Tucson.

The Pima County deputy administrator, who oversees the Pima County shelter efforts, says he has kept migrants off the streets and is no longer clear to the community how many pass through. They fear that when Title 42 is lifted, a surge of people will overwhelm the shelters and spill over into the streets.

Thousands of asylum seekers were allowed into the United States during the Title 42 restrictions, while thousands more were denied to wait just south of the border.

The Title 42 entry restrictions were based on the COVID public health emergency. However, it is allowed to expire on May 11th.

Anticipating increased demand is one of the reasons Pima County opened a new shelter managed by Catholic Community Services Casa Aritas.

Pima County Deputy Administrator Dr. Francisco Garcia says local shelters were nearly overwhelmed when federal officials released about 1,500 immigrants in the Tucson area in December. According to him, immigration officials say they can see twice as much of him once Title 42 is gone.

Garcia said counties often ask why a large and expensive effort is needed to stop federal agents from releasing immigrants onto the streets. Part of the reason, he says, is humanitarian.

“But the best answer is because Pima County is the local government responsible for providing the safety, health and welfare of its residents. It is detrimental to the health, safety and well-being of everyone in this county to try to find their way to another part of an unfamiliar country with no food, no money and no place to sleep. of.”

Sierra Vista Mayor Clea McCaa says social media and smugglers are posing a danger to the city’s streets. According to him, smugglers pay young people to catch illegal border crossers and drive them north at high speeds that pose a threat to anyone on Sierra Vista Boulevard.

The mayor said, “I want to stop worrying if my daughter will come home from volleyball practice. I want to stop worrying if my mother will come home from Bible study. That’s what keeps me up at night. is what I’m worried about: When will the next citizen be a fatality because of these road car drivers?”

Community leaders say federal support has at least mitigated the impact of the immigration surge, but much of that money was related to the COVID emergency. I hope Congress will continue to provide funds to help local communities cope.