CBP calls on Congress for additional resources at San Luis Port

The San Luis Port of Entry’s preparation for an influx of migrants has U.S. Customs and Border Protection calling upon Congress for additional resources like officers and infrastructure, according to Justin Winburn, Watch Commander for the San Luis’s Port of Entry.

Over the next couple of months, the port will temporarily close lanes of traffic coming in and out of the United States with expectations of a second wave from the so-called migrant caravan.

“When we see this influx in migrants coming through with asylum claims whether it be family units or unaccompanied children, it pulls our resources,” Winburn said. “We’ve identified some problems to Congress and we are asking them to help us out.”

Those problems include loop-holes in immigration law and support with additional resources, Winburn said.

“Any type of resources that we can get whether it be additional personnel , infrastructure. We are gladly going to welcome it,” Winburn said. “That way we can deal with the crisis that we are facing.”

Over the years, Winburn said the port has seen a gradual increase in family units and unaccompanied children looking to seek asylum at the San Luis Port of Entry.

The influx in migrants along with the process to claim asylum causes many migrants to wait in lines for days or even months.

“The system at its current state is overwhelmed,” Winburn said. “How do we allocate resources to meet all obligations we are responsible for?”

There are almost a hundred people waiting for asylum outside the San Luis Port of Entry. These people remain unaffiliated with the migrant caravan.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is doing the best of its ability to process traffic coming and going, Winburn said.

The San Luis Port of Entry is the second largest port for vehicle and pedestrian traffic in Arizona.