CEO hopes this issue will be resolved soon

YUMA, Arizona (KECY, KYMA) – The Federal Emergency Management Agency has denied the Regional Border Health Center’s $300,000 reimbursement for services it provides to immigrants released from Border Patrol custody.

The refusal goes beyond the issue of lease payments after RCBH moved its business to a property owned next door when RCBH began accepting more and more immigrants in the summer of 2021.

They are only requesting refunds through May 2022.

“Under the circumstances of the problem and the emergency we are facing in Yuma, the expectation from the United Way board is that I would have gone to a bid for a building that I disagree with,” Aguirre said.

She said that if this money is not reimbursed, it will shut down the immigration assistance program, which could lead to a release on the streets in Yuma.

But Aguirre added that he hopes the governor’s office and Sen. Kirsten Cinema will take action to resolve the denials and that a solution will be found soon.

“I have all the paperwork, everything is in place,” Aguirre said.

Aguirre said the regional center receives hundreds of migrants a day, after which about five to six buses take them to Phoenix Airport, where they board flights to their final destinations.

“We want to resolve these issues, continue to support border agents, and prevent immigrants in Yuma from being released to life on the streets,” Aguirre said.

Aguirre added that he saw a slight increase in migrants coming to their facility even before Title 42 ended.