Yuma, Arizona (new nation) — A hospital in Yuma County, Arizona, worries it won’t be able to handle the influx of illegal immigrants expected to arrive after its Title 42 expires.

The Yuma Regional Medical Center said it had already spent about $26 million in outstanding bills treating immigrants, but this was before the end of COVID-era immigration policies. The hospital estimates it has treated about 300,000 migrants over the past two years.

The hospital said it frequently treats pregnant women who have traveled many kilometers to cross the southern border. Many of them have never received prenatal care. Many mothers and children frequently face complications and often spend long periods in the birth intensive care unit.

Some residents fear immigrant numbers will overwhelm hospitals, diverting care from local patients.

House Republicans on Thursday passed sweeping legislation to build an additional wall on the U.S.-Mexico border and impose new restrictions on asylum seekers, toughening President Joe Biden’s policies as immigrants flock along the border. It was a great countermeasure.

The chances of this bill becoming law are virtually zero. Democrats, who hold tight control of the Senate, have denounced the aggressive measures in the bill as “brutal” and “anti-immigrant,” and Mr. Biden has already rejected the bill once it reaches his desk. I promise to exercise my powers.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.