Yuma County prepares for the end of Title 42

County Supervisor Jonathan Lines gave a presentation on county plans for after May 11

YUMA, Ariz. (KECY, KYMA) - On Monday, the Yuma County Board of Supervisors is trying to prepare for the end of Title 42.

The policy has been used over two million times by the Biden and Trump Administrations to expel migrants back to Mexico during the pandemic.

But there's frustration coming from local lawmakers as they say it feels like the federal government is relying on them to solve the local border crisis.

County Supervisor Jonathan Lines recapped recent meetings with border patrol, saying while the local partnerships are strong, the federal government seems to be relying on local communities to fix their issues.

“In the end, Chief McGurk was asking the Yuma community what we can do to help,” Lines said.

But Yuma County Sheriff Leon Wilmot says there’s a limit to what the county can do to assist the border patrol, as federal immigration crimes are outside their jurisdiction.

“The only thing we can address throughout the whole of the United States is an individual breaking a state law," Wilmot said.

While the feds are asking for help, they’re frequently leaving Yuma with footing the bill for that assistance.

As Yuma Regional Medical Center’s CEO said there is $26 million in medical bills for migrants which have gone unpaid.

“The challenge for us is there’s no payer source for these individuals,” Dr. Robert Trenschel said.

Also feeling the pinch is the Regional Center for Border Health, which has prevented the street releases of migrants into the community.

Recently the organization was denied $300,000 by FEMA.

Making the Board of Supervisors increasingly frustrated by the federal response to the border crisis.

“Every time we solve their problem, it gets worse,” Supervisor Tony Reyes said.

Supervisor Lines says the feds estimate there are as many as 700,000 migrants waiting on the other side of the border for Title 42 to end.