Locals react to Lukeville Port of Entry reopening

Samantha Byrd spoke to migrants and locals in San Luis, Mexico and shared their reaction

YUMA COUNTY, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - The Lukeville-Sonoyta Port of Entry reopened Thursday morning after a month-long closure.

Felix Martinez, a migrant from Oaxaca, Mexico said he has been in San Luis, Mexico waiting for asylum for two months now.

After attempting to cross into Lukeville.  

“They were asking for 9,000 to cross the border. They respected us, but they told us if you don’t have the money you have to leave," said Martinez.

He said he's having a hard time getting an appointment because he is not legally married. 

Another migrant, Carmen Martinez, shared why she decided to seek asylum through San Luis.

“I didn’t have any other option and I couldn’t find any other place," said Carmen Martinez, a migrant from Guerrero, Mexico.

San Luis resident Francisco Garza said he can relate to how difficult the closure of the Lukeville port must have been for people crossing on both sides of the border. 

“It would be terrible because I have family on this side of the border, we felt it during the pandemic for two years because we got a Mexican passport and we couldn’t cross just the U.S. Citizens, but it’s really bad," said Francisco Garza, a San Luis, Mexico resident.

He says he's thankful to be able to cross every day.