The Border Patrol in Yuma saw roughly 1,000 migrants cross into the United States daily between Friday and Monday, according to the agency. Many believe the surge is related to a pending restart of the Trump era “Remain in Mexico” program. The pace of illegal crossings add to already record-breaking arrest numbers from the once quiet sector.
Federal statistics show Yuma’s apprehension increase in October 2021 is 2,647 percent over October 2020. According to CBP, out of the nine southwest Border Patrol Sectors, Yuma is trailing only the Rio Grande Valley and the Del Rio Sectors in apprehensions.
The volume of crossings is problematic for Border Patrol. The area is not as equipped to handle the traffic compared to other sectors like the Rio Grande Valley. Yuma lacks significant detention and transportation resources as well.
The latest spike in migrant crossings is having a devastating impact on the surrounding Border Patrol stations and the soft sided processing center near Yuma. They are cumulatively more than 800 percent over the recommended COVID-19 detention capacity.
Most of the migrant groups are crossing by breaching a border wall gap near the Morelos Dam, west of Yuma.
Customs and Border Protection arrest data show October 2021 was the busiest October in the agency’s history. More than 21,000 of the 158,575 apprehended along the southwest border were encountered near Yuma.
The groups rushing the border in the area are a mix of single adults, family units, and unaccompanied children of multiple nationalities.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.