TUCSON — Senator Kirsten Cinema said Tuesday that the federal government needs to remain vigilant about a resurgence in immigration arrivals despite a steady decline in the weeks since Title 42 ended. said there is.
Arizona Cinema, along with Oklahoma Republican Senator James Lankford, held a roundtable discussion on ending Title 42 with humanitarian nonprofits and local leaders at the Pima County Historical Court in Tucson.
The debate comes almost two weeks after Title 42 was officially lifted on May 11 after more than three years. Pandemic-era border restrictions allowed border officials to quickly turn away migrants arriving at the border.
“There was certainly a big surge around the end of Title 42, and the numbers were trending downward, but we believe they will surge again,” Cinema said. “If we pull back the focus, stop working on legislation, and pull back resources at the federal level, the next surge will surely come when we are not ready.”
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U.S. Border Patrol agents recorded fewer than 3,000 immigrant arrests per day over the weekend, according to Border Patrol Commissioner Raul Ortiz. This figure represents a sharp drop in numbers compared to the approximately 10,000 arrests seen each day before Title 42 expired.
For months, cinema has expressed concerns about its readiness to respond to the Biden administration’s lifting of restrictions.
But ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border were largely quiet, with no influx of migrants when restrictions were lifted on the night of May 11.
While the influx didn’t materialize immediately, Arizona’s humanitarian nonprofits have been dealing with the surge in immigration for days before the restrictions were lifted.
As of May, 11,724 migrants had arrived in Pima County, according to figures provided at the roundtable. This number does not include the 1,248 people the county had to move to Phoenix for shelter assistance.
Non-profits, volunteers, and local authorities banded together to prevent unprotected street releases in communities, despite being so close to them.
Pima County Emergency Management Director Shane Clark said the county’s response to the surge in arrivals “was on the shoulders of so many people.”
For several days before and after Title 42 ended, Casa Aritas had about 1,000 people walking through the facility each day. Casa Aritas executive director Teresa Cavendish said Casa Aritas currently serves about 500 people a day.
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On May 8, the state established new bus routes to transport immigrants from small border communities to Tucson and Phoenix. State efforts are aimed at curbing the release of unsheltered migrants into the streets in rural areas that lack the infrastructure to house, feed and transport asylum seekers.
The state transported 3,025 asylum seekers on 87 buses between May 8 and May 14, according to the Arizona Military Emergency Department. The line initially operated twice daily from Nogales, Naco, Douglas, and Bisbee to Casa Aritas in Tucson.
On May 17, DEMA diverted charter buses departing from southeastern Arizona to Phoenix instead of Tucson, announcing that it would be better able to assist asylum seekers.
A few days after the end of Title 42, hundreds of asylum seekers began lining up outside the Dennis DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales to seek asylum without a CBP One appointment. People lined up for days, enduring the scorching sun and frigid nights, often distributing food and water.
The discussion was part of a two-day trip the cinema took to southern Arizona following the lifting of restrictions. On Wednesday, cinema will visit the Dennis DeConcini port of entry in Nogales after seeing part of the border wall.
On May 4, Cinema and Sen. Tom Tillis, RN.C., announced a temporary two-year extension that would allow authorities to deport immigrants from the United States and function similarly to Section 42. submitted a bill to establish
Cinema and Tillis first proposed a last-minute draft framework to extend Title 42 for another year in December, when restrictions were expected to be lifted. The proposed deal would also give two million undocumented young people, known as ‘Dreamers’, a path to citizenship.
The proposal failed to gather enough support in the Senate by the time Congress closed in December.
In April, Cinema traveled to parts of Cochise County to meet with local officials and said the U.S. Department of Homeland Security didn’t have a proper plan in place to lift Title 42.
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Got news tips or story ideas about the border and its communities? josecastaneda@arizonarepublic.com Or connect with him on Twitter @joseicastaneda.
