蜜柚直播

鈥淯nsheltered鈥� street releases 鈥� those that don鈥檛 involve advance coordination with migrant-aid providers 鈥� began Wednesday in Nogales, Douglas, Bisbee and Casa Grande, and are also 鈥減erilously close鈥� to happening in 蜜柚直播, officials say.

But so far none of the released migrants, who have all been processed as asylum seekers by U.S. border agents, have been left unsheltered overnight, officials in 蜜柚直播 and Santa Cruz counties told the Star.

Through close coordination with Pima County emergency management, and the state Department of Emergency and Military Affairs, the released migrants have all been transported to short-term shelter providers like Casa Alitas in 蜜柚直播 and the International Rescue Committee in Phoenix, usually after just a few hours鈥� wait in the small communities where they were released.

Asylum seekers are then quickly connected to family or sponsors often in the interior of the U.S., and typically leave 蜜柚直播鈥檚 migrant shelters within 24 to 48 hours.

But it鈥檚 not clear how long these under-resourced communities, and the agencies that support them, can keep up with the accelerated pace of migrant releases.

鈥淲e are on the precipice of (migrants) being unsheltered overnight in Bisbee,鈥� Daniel Duchon, director of 蜜柚直播 County Emergency Management, said in a Thursday interview. 鈥淚t hasn鈥檛 happened yet. I鈥檓 on the phone 24/7 with state and Pima County emergency management, going 鈥楬elp me out,鈥� and they do it every time. But at a certain point, if the numbers keep going up, they鈥檒l have to say, 鈥楧an, I can鈥檛.鈥欌��

Since June, 蜜柚直播 County has been receiving migrants released by the Border Patrol, but with enough notice that federally funded transportation services could meet the migrants upon arrival, Duchon said.

鈥淭hose releases have been seamless,鈥� Duchon said. 鈥淧ima County and DEMA (the 蜜柚直播 Department of Emergency and Military Affairs) are running three buses a day to Douglas and another three to Bisbee. The scope of this effort they鈥檙e doing is nothing short of phenomenal.鈥�

But the new rapid street releases pose a major challenge, he said. Volunteers and faith-based organizations in Douglas have stepped up to offer some shelter options, but Bisbee still lacks any real housing options for migrants who would need overnight stays, he said.

Santa Cruz County is preparing for the possibility that migrants released in Nogales may require shelter overnight, but that hasn鈥檛 happened yet, Jos茅 Arriola, deputy director for health and human services for Santa Cruz County, said on Thursday.

鈥淏eing a small community, our resources are stretched kind of thin. We鈥檙e making it work with what we have,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is a federal problem and unfortunately, it鈥檚 falling on us.鈥�

Between Wednesday and Thursday afternoon, about 100 migrants had been released in Douglas and nearly 60 released in Bisbee, 蜜柚直播 County officials said. A spokesman for Pinal County, home to Casa Grande, directed the Star to the county sheriff鈥檚 department for comment on the street releases, but the Star did not receive a response before deadline.

Duchon said on Wednesday night in Bisbee, he watched as a few migrant families, including children ages 3 to 5, took shelter in front of a Safeway store where border agents had left them. It was 6 p.m. and raining as Duchon called DEMA officials to ask if they could send another bus by 7 p.m. Thankfully, a bus was available, but the situation is untenable, he said.

鈥淲e鈥檙e in desperate need,鈥� Duchon said. 鈥淚t breaks my heart.鈥�

Surge in apprehensions

For the past week Border Patrol agents have reported apprehending 4,000 people a day crossing the border in the 蜜柚直播 Sector, said Mark Evans, spokesman for Pima County, which is the fiduciary of the federal funding for migrant-aid services.

Those numbers bring the situation in 蜜柚直播 to crisis levels last seen in May on the eve of the expiration of Title 42, the pandemic-era measure that allowed the federal government to expel some migrants from the country immediately. That was the closest Pima County came to having uncontrolled street releases, Evans said.

鈥淲e think this is just a wave that is going to crest, and then it will go back to the 500 (apprehensions) a day that it was, and everything goes back to normal,鈥� Evans said.

Typically the Border Patrol closely coordinates with local governments and migrant-aid organizations to ensure a smooth handover of migrants leaving Border Patrol custody. But border officials have been processing and releasing migrants quicker, and with less warning, to ensure their facilities maintain safe standards for detainees.

Border Patrol agents said their facilities are 鈥渄angerously full鈥� lately, Evans said.

鈥榃e fully understand the situation that the Border Patrol is in,鈥� Evans said. 鈥淲e understand their need to release people. But at the same time we don鈥檛 want to create dangerous conditions for the people being released without shelter or without support services into the community. It鈥檚 taking them from one danger to the next.鈥�

Following a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union of 蜜柚直播, Border Patrol detention facilities in the 蜜柚直播 Sector must meet certain conditions of confinement laid out in a issued in 2020.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman John Mennell said Thursday that when non-governmental organizations that offer short-term shelter for migrants are over capacity, the Border Patrol coordinates with local governments to find drop-off locations where migrants can access transportation services or other accommodations.

A Thursday CBP statement said the agency 鈥渋s working according to plan and as part of our standard processes to quickly decompress the areas along the Southwest border, and safely and efficiently screen and process migrants to place them in immigration enforcement proceedings consistent with our laws.鈥�

Anger in 蜜柚直播 County

蜜柚直播 County officials held a on Thursday to demand a federal solution to the immigration crisis, to decry border-related crime and to plead with local residents to avoid falling into vigilantism.

Frustration about street releases should be directed at the federal government, not at the vulnerable migrants in the community, 蜜柚直播 County Attorney Brian McIntyre told reporters.

鈥淚鈥檝e seen, unfortunately, the reaction online to the newest changes in policy,鈥� McIntyre said. 鈥淭hey include threatening statements and in general, an attitude of disgust for people who are just pawns in a process.鈥�

The asylum seekers released in 蜜柚直播 County are 鈥渓awfully present in our community,鈥� McIntyre said.

鈥淲hile we may not agree with that decision, the blame for that does not belong with these human beings,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 implore the members of this community to band together. Together we will get through this, without harm coming to any person during the process.鈥�

鈥淰igilantes won鈥檛 be tolerated,鈥� said Willcox Police Chief Dale Hadfield during the news conference. 鈥淭hese people are being street-released legally to go forth and try to find a better life. 鈥� This is a public safety issue. It鈥檚 not a political issue.鈥�

蜜柚直播 County Sheriff Mark Dannels highlighted border-related crime that鈥檚 hit 蜜柚直播 County, including dangerous high-speed chases, assaults and human smuggling. He clarified that in the vast majority of cases, migrants weren鈥檛 the culprits.

Of the nearly 2,400 border-related offenses committed in 蜜柚直播 County in the last 18 months, 136 of them involved people who were foreign born or present illegally in the U.S., Dannels said.

鈥淲hat that tells me 鈥� is the people coming to 蜜柚直播 County are coming down from all over the U.S., ages 13 to 72, to commit international crime in 蜜柚直播 County,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 impacted every community.鈥�

Dannels also expressed frustration that Border Patrol representatives declined to appear at the Thursday press event and answer questions.

鈥淚 invited Border Patrol today to come speak at this. They weren鈥檛 allowed to come,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 so disappointed to hear that they could not come. They should stand in front of you just like we are.鈥�