Sign In  |  Register  |  About Burlingame  |  Contact Us

Burlingame, CA
September 01, 2020 10:18am
7-Day Forecast | Traffic
  • Search Hotels in Burlingame

  • CHECK-IN:
  • CHECK-OUT:
  • ROOMS:

PRIVATE BORDER SECURITY: Yuma families forced to hire armed guards amid migrant surge, local official says

A Yuma county supervisor shared his town's battle to accommodate the influx of migrants amid caring for residents as border crossings increase in Arizona.

Illegal immigrants have flooded Yuma hospitals and have caused some residents fearing their safety to hire armed security, a Yuma city official told Fox News. 

"Two of these families down here actually had to hire private security guards — armed security guards — to keep people out of their yards," a Yuma county supervisor, Jonathan Lines, told Fox News. "They were constantly having people come into their homes, into their yards, and they were not very respectful."

Nearly 1 million of the 4 million migrants who have crossed into the U.S. since President Biden took office traveled through Arizona's southern border, according to Customs and Border Protection. Border Patrol's Yuma sector saw a 171% increase in migrant crossings between 2021 and 2022.

WATCH MORE FOX NEWS DIGITAL ORIGINALS HERE

Thousands of migrants crossed residential properties and farmland in Yuma, Lines told Fox News. He said they created safety concerns, strained resources and hurt crops in the agriculture-heavy city.

"We had people showing up to our … non-governmental organizations, the food bank, the mission asking for assistance," Lines said. "We had people showing up directly to the churches looking for assistance." 

ARIZONA BORDER MAYOR CALLS ON BIDEN ADMIN TO CHANGE POLICIES ‘ ENOCURAGING’ ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

Some residents couldn't receive medical assistance as migrants crowded the local hospital, Lines said.

"I've received calls from people saying, ‘hey, I had to take my wife to San Diego to deliver a baby,’" Lines told Fox News. "'I had to take my wife to Phoenix to deliver the baby because there were no more beds at this hospital.'" 

Yuma, an agricultural community, faced threats to their food production as migrants damaged crops while crossing through farmland along the southern border. 

ARIZONA RANCHER: AFTER MS-13 WALKED THROUGH THE GAP IN THE BORDER WALL, THEY CAME KNOCKING AT MY DOOR

"National security also relates to our food security," Lines said, noting that Americans rely on Yuma's leafy green production. 

"We need to give the men and women who put on the uniform every day for national security the tools that they need, both additional manpower and technology so that they can do their job and keep us safe," Lines said. 

To hear more from Lines about the strain the border crisis has had on the Yuma community, click here

Data & News supplied by www.cloudquote.io
Stock quotes supplied by Barchart
Quotes delayed at least 20 minutes.
By accessing this page, you agree to the following
Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.
 
 
Copyright © 2010-2020 Burlingame.com & California Media Partners, LLC. All rights reserved.