Yuma County Sheriff and local farmers preparing for the end of Title 42

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Yuma County Sheriffs, and local farmers are preparing for the end of Title 42.

Title 42, which is set to end on Thursday, May 11, is a Trump-era border policy that was put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The title expels migrants who have recently been in a country where a communicable disease was present. 

Now that it is coming to an end, border officials expect a surge in migrants crossing the border into Yuma.

Yuma County Sheriff Leon Wilmot has encouraged local farmers to put up no trespassing signs on fields near the border so that migrants do not walk in the crops.

Yuma County farmers grow several different crops all the way up to the border wall and migrants walking in the fields or groves can cause food safety concerns, leading to a national food security issue.

The sheriff also says his deputies are working on assisting border patrol as needed, but most of all making sure human and drug smuggling is not taking place during the surge.