SPECIAL REPORT: Ride along the border with Yuma County Sheriff Leon Wilmot

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Ever wonder what the Yuma border looks like from our local sheriff’s point of view? 

Samantha Byrd rode along with Yuma County Sheriff Leon Wilmot, on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Yuma sector border.

We set out for the U.S.-Mexico border at 9 a.m.

“So, where we’re going to go first, we’re just going to run the levee road, this is the river corridor, where a lot of the give-ups happen,” said Sheriff Wilmot.

Wilmot said his deputies work closely with U.S. Border Patrol in protecting the Yuma community.

“I mean you look at last federal fiscal year 310,000 people crossed into Yuma County and on top of that, we had over 9,000 getaways in just our county. What country are they from, where are they going and what’s their intentions,” said Wilmot.

And so far, this federal fiscal year over 124,000 migrants have crossed into Yuma County. 

Deputies who participate in operation stone garden have a partnership with Border Patrol, creating a larger law enforcement presence on the Yuma border. 

“Obtained funds for paying overtime and to purchase equipment to help augment to fill the gap for border patrol, so we can actually have a higher profile presence of law enforcement to deter the criminal element that so often accompanies what we’re dealing with now in this crisis,” said Wilmot.

Now we head south, down the river corridor, toward San Luis.

We stop where the federal border wall meets the Cocopah reservation, typically a popular crossing spot for migrants.

“The Cocopah tribe is a river tribe, so access to the river is part of their sovereignty as a tribal nation so it’s understandable why they would not want a fence,” said Wilmot.

Finding loads of personal belongings migrants left behind before turning themselves in to border patrol.

Then, we came across a group of about 25 African migrants.

“This is not individuals from Mexico trying to get in the United States, we see people from 140 different countries if not 160,” said Wilmot.

At one point this year, the Yuma sector border was seeing over 1,000 migrants a day, but now things look different. 

“The norm is about 300 to 400 a day, right, up to 600. That is now the new norm. To me that’s not anything to be proud of,” said Wilmot.

Sheriff Wilmot said this is all made possible by cartels. 

“Everything’s orchestrated by the cartels. They dictate every mile of the international boundary. Yuma county we got about 112 miles of international boundary with Mexico,” said Wilmot.

And the migrants have to pay the price. 

“Anywhere from $6,000 to $15,000 just depends on what country. So, if you’re a country of special interest, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, countries like that, then you’re going to pay more,” said Wilmot.

Wilmot said not only do they pay the cartels, but they also buy plane tickets from their country.

“They get on a plane they’re flying into Mexico City or Mexicali, then they catch an Uber or a taxi or a shuttle and take it all the way down here to Algodones and then they come across,” said Wilmot.

The sheriff said cartels don’t care if the migrants die along the way.

“The cartels don’t care about human life. There’s not a value on it. Most of the individuals involved with the cartels, they don’t expect to live past 20, 30 years old,” said Wilmot.

Next, we venture into the desert, 30 miles from civilization.

“I mean we’ve already had seven individuals that we’ve had to go out and recover, who have expired in the desert because of the elements,” said Wilmot.

The sheriff said the desert is where people who don’t want to get caught and drug smugglers go.

“And there’s still a couple out there that we haven’t been able to find, that were left by groups, but see the problem is when the groups finally do get ahold of us, they’ve already left that person and they’ve gotten to their destination,” said Wilmot.

No matter what journey migrants take, they are all coming to the United States for one common goal. 

“They’re all hoping for a better way of life but the bottom line is, you need to do it the right way and the legal way because all the people that are sitting over there now that are doing it the legal way, are now being ignored because you have to address all these people that came in the illegal way,” said Wilmot.

Sheriff Wilmot said he hopes the United States comes up with a better, long-term solution to the immigration crisis.

But for now, he and his deputies will continue protecting the Yuma community alongside U.S. Border Patrol.