The Arizona border region will face a “humanitarian disaster” within two weeks if the federal government does not intervene to help quell the immigrants expected when Title 42 ends, local officials said. He told a Senate panel on Wednesday.

The mayors of Yuma and Sierra Vista, along with the Pima County chief medical officer, testified that the system was already strained due to historically high numbers of immigrants crossing the border. They told the Senate Homeland Security Subcommittee that they had no more staff or facilities to handle it.

“NGOs[non-governmental organizations]have spent more than $700,000 and used 93,000 pounds of food and clothing,” Yuma Mayor Douglas Nichols said in testimony. We treated a patient at a cost of $810,000, but only a third of that cost was reimbursed by the federal government.”

Hearings by the Subcommittee on Government Operations and Border Control came just two weeks before the scheduled May 11 end date of Title 42, a public health protection measure invoked during the Covid pandemic. . Under this regulation, border officials have been able to turn back many migrants for public health reasons over the past two years.

Nicholls cited reports that as many as 660,000 people across the border are waiting for the end of Title 42.

Border communities say they are already overwhelmed. Customs and Border Protection reported 191,899 encounters with migrants along the Southwest border in March. This is an increase of over 35,000 since February.

Without federal intervention, the Arizona border town faces a “humanitarian disaster” in the coming months, said Dr. Francisco Garcia, deputy county administrator and chief medical officer of Pima County. says.

Sierra Vista Mayor Claire McCarter II said the cartels recruited U.S. teenagers to pick up immigrants on this side of the border and smuggle them north, giving his town a “quiet and safe lifestyle.” ‘ and said that it is disturbing. The resulting high-speed pursuit is leading to an increase in car crashes and deaths, McCaa said.

From left, Yuma Mayor Douglas Nichols, Sierra Vista Mayor Claire McCullah II, and Pima County Deputy Commissioner Francisco Garcia testify before a Senate panel about the impact of surges in immigration on communities. (Photo: Alexis Waiss/Cronkite News)

Even with Title 42 applied, the Sierra Vista’s small police force still has to deal with about four to five high-speed “cargo truck” chases a day, McCaa said. He said one of those crashes happened 200 yards from his mother’s house, which worried both his loved ones and voters.

“I want to stop worrying about my daughter coming home from volleyball practice. Arizona, Arizona), Mucker said.

“That’s what causes me to stay up late and that’s what I’m worried about,” he said. “When will the next citizen… die for these road car drivers?”

Nichols, who has declared a state of emergency several times in response to the number of immigrants, said much of Yuma’s transportation, food, shelter and medical care goes to looking after them. said he was concerned about what would happen if the resources were not in place to deal with

“Eventually, up to 1,000 people a day will be released into the streets of Yuma,” says Nichols. With only a handful of buses leaving town each day, he suspects some may even try to walk to their next destination “when the temperature hits the 120-degree range.” is worried

“Yuma isn’t very contiguous, so you can’t walk to the next town,” he said.

“We are 180 miles from the Phoenix metropolitan area and about 150 miles from the San Diego area.”

Garcia said Pima County faced similar challenges over the past four years, as it has been “extremely involved in assisting with the protection, feeding and health screenings” of incoming immigrants.

“The biggest burden and the biggest challenge for us is the large and constant flow and volume of asylum seekers,” Garcia said. “For city and county staff, humanitarian workers and volunteers, it is relentlessly exhausting.”

All three Arizona witnesses attributed much of the problem to the federal government’s failure to provide consistent funding and communication to the community. But Mr. Garcia said sending money is not the only thing Washington has to do.

“We need comprehensive federal immigration reform that addresses some of these factors that are driving people out of our countries,” Garcia said. “It’s not something that we locals can solve. It’s something that falls under the jurisdiction of this parliament and executive branch.”

Nichols said U.S. and local officials are ready to respond because they need to learn from previous border surges and “put some of those resources in place in advance.” And they have to work together.

“This is not just a Yuma issue or a city issue. This affects us as a state and as a country,” Nichols said after the hearing. “It really shouldn’t be a partisan issue.

“This is about humanitarian concerns, it is about border security, and those elements should benefit everyone,” he said.