Arizona - Gerston Miranda and his wife, along with thousands of migrants, recently traversed the challenging terrain of Arizona's southern border, circumventing the border wall and walking approximately 14 miles overnight to surrender to Border Patrol agents with their two school-aged daughters. Miranda, a 28-year-old from Ecuador, attributed their journey to the lack of security in his home country, where unemployment resulted from his employer closing due to criminal extortion.
This surge in migration to a remote area in Lukeville, Arizona, has prompted the U.S. government to indefinitely close the nearby international crossing between Lukeville and Sonoyta, Mexico. The closure aims to free up Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers for transportation and support duties.
Critics, including Arizona Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs and Mexico's Sonora state governor, argue that the move could adversely impact trade and tourism. Governor Hobbs has urged President Joe Biden to reassign the 243 National Guard members in the Tucson sector to help reopen the Lukeville crossing.
The closure has left Border Patrol agents overseeing around 400 migrants who spent the night near the towering border wall. CBP field operations officers are assisting in transporting migrants to intake centers, such as the Ajo station or other locations like Tucson. The shortage of personnel in Arizona has even led to the use of charter flights to transfer migrants to Texas border cities for processing, according to Witness at the Border, an advocacy group analyzing flight data.
To address the staffing gaps, federal air marshals and Federal Protective Service officers have been redirected to the border from their usual assignments. This diversification of resources has led to concerns among humanitarian aid workers, such as Tom Wingo in Lukeville, who note the presence of various uniforms in the region.
Nonprofit groups, including Tucson's Humane Borders, emphasize the humanitarian crisis occurring in the region. Dora Rodriguez, chairperson of Humane Borders, expresses worry about the well-being of hundreds of migrants, including infants and children, stranded in remote desert areas for days.
The popularity of Lukeville as a crossing point has emerged in recent months, highlighting a trend of migrants shifting to remote areas. This places the Border Patrol at a disadvantage, especially considering the light staffing in such remote locations. Traffickers operating in the region controlled by Mexico's Sinaloa cartel are steering migrants to these less patrolled areas, further complicating the situation.
Immigration policies could become a significant factor especially for Republicans heading into the next presidential elections.
President Biden's approach involves creating new legal pathways while imposing more restrictions on asylum for those crossing illegally.
In contrast, former President Donald Trump, the GOP front-runner for the 2024 nomination, promises even tougher immigration policies.