Border communities in Yuma County will receive millions of dollars in state funding to strengthen post-Title 42 border security.

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs made the announcement at a news conference Friday afternoon at Somerton City Hall in southern Yuma County.

“I am pleased to announce more than $25 million in grants from the state Border Patrol Fund to the cities of Somerton, Yuma, Welton and the Cocopa Indian Tribe,” said Governor Hobbs. “This funding will enable these cities to invest in meaningful technical assistance and ensure they have the tools they need to effectively manage their borders.”

Somerton Mayor Gerald Anaya told KAWC that the grant addresses the specific needs of each community.

“They asked what our public security department needed and they listened to us,” said Mayor Anaya. “So [the] Funding is tailored to each community. ”

Cocopa’s public security director, Paul De Anda, said the Cocopa tribe, which owns land along the border, will receive funds to upgrade aging police vehicles.

“They get old and hurt,” de Anda says. “The border we patrol is 24 miles long, all on embankments.

Yuma Mayor Doug Nichols told KAWC that Hobbes is working with local communities to address border security issues.

“She has been very passionate about these issues,” Mayor Nichols said. But she definitely came here within her first 100 days, just as she promised me after her election. ”

During his visit to Yuma County, Governor Hobbs also visited the Yuma District Border Patrol to see how illegal immigration is handled. She met with officials including Yuma District Deputy Chief Patrol Agent Dustin Cordle, San Luis Mayor Nieves Riedel, and Arizona Representative Mariana Sandoval.

Hobbs said the border community funds will be used to upgrade communications equipment, expand fleets and hire additional personnel.

Somerton Police Chief Araceli Juarez, Yuma Police Chief Thomas Garrity, and Yuma County Sheriff Leon Wilmot also thanked the governor for funding local police leaders.

According to the newspaper, Mayor Anaya said: Somerton Historical SocietyThe governor of Arizona had not visited Somerton since 1919. On February 27, 2018, Governor Hobbes met with officials from Campesinos Sin Fronteras, which serves farm workers and low-income families, and toured the Migrant Transfer Center at the Border Health Regional Center in Somerton.

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Victor Calderon of KAWC contributed to this report.