U.S. Senators to visit Yuma Tuesday
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - A bipartisan group of united states senators are set to visit Yuma's Southern border tomorrow afternoon.
Arizona's Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema, along with several other U.S. Senators will be able to see, firsthand what's going on along the yuma border.
They are expected to tour the border patrol processing facility, the Morelos Dam gap, and the Cocopah reservation, where migrants typically cross every morning.
The senators traveling from El Paso, Texas to Yuma.
The senators will participate in a discussion with local law enforcement officials and community leaders, to discuss the ongoing border crisis, and try to find solutions.
“They’ll be sitting down with some local leaders, myself included, to talk about impact and how things are going and what we look for in the future and it’s a really great opportunity to make sure we get to senators across the aisle. We will be able to have some of those discussions which will hopefully be fruitful when they get back to Washington D.C.,” said Mayor of Yuma, Doug Nicholls.
Nicholls says the visit will show senators not only the border crisis we're experiencing, but also the security, humanitarian and economic challenges our border community is facing.
“They see the releases into the community as a city and a community issue, well it’s the other way around, it’s a federal issue that’s impacting a city and community, so until we have that shift, it’s going to be a constant struggle all the time,” said Nicholls
The senators will also tour local non-profit, Regional Center for Border Health.
Who has assisted asylum seekers with medical checkups, food, and every transportation when they leave CBP custody.
“Instead of releasing them into the streets of Yuma we come in play to support that effort, so the migrants are not just walking out of the detention center, which they could,” said Regional Center for Border Health President and CEO, Amanda Aguirre.
Aguirre, who’s also a former state senator says she wants to emphasize that the solution to the crisis needs to come from Washington.
"I think finding the humanitarian and the right path of when citizens from other countries can seek asylum into the united states is very important and I think those laws have to come from congress,” said Aguirre.
