What Biden’s State of the Union Address means for immigration

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA/KECY) - On Tuesday, March 1, President Biden gave his first State of the Union Address and framed the need to pass immigration reform in congress.

The day after Joe Biden gave his State of the Union speech, migrants at the Yuma sector were being apprehended by the busload.

The President spent only a few minutes talking about immigration and border issues during his 62-minute long speech, receiving standing ovations when calling on the need to reform and secure the border.

Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema released a statement in regard to the State of the Union Address saying, “As we strengthen Arizona's economic recovery, the administration must take immediate action to address the ongoing migrant crisis by securing the border, keeping Arizona communities safe, and ensuring migrants are treated fairly and humanely.”

As Yuma is a border town, this is crucial to our community.

Yuma county supervisor Jonathan Lines says he believes the President changed his view on the border because of the upcoming midterm election.

“When the game plan that you have is contrary to popular opinion in the united states, then you need to kind of change course so, he and others are sounding a lot more like the republicans and the plan that they had put forward,” said Lines.

Lines says for at least a year, average undocumented immigrant numbers have been 800 to one-thousand a day in the Yuma sector.

However, border patrol has not supplied us with local numbers since January.

“I would invite the president and the vice president to see what our challenge is here on the ground. I appreciate Mayorkas spending the day here looking at what the challenges are and making a commitment to change a few things,” said Lines.

Lines and other Yuma leaders are continuing to have conversations with homelands security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on how to secure the Yuma Border.