Yuma Border Patrol warns of deadly risks for migrants crossing Arizona desert
YUMA, AZ (AZFamily) — Migrant apprehensions at the southern border are at historic lows. In Yuma County, border patrol agents are averaging just five arrests per day.
Despite that decline, Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents are now stepping up their warnings about the dangers of illegally crossing the border through Arizona’s deadly desert terrain.
“It’s physically impossible to carry enough water to survive a multi-day journey. It’s easy to get lost, especially when you’ve been abandoned by your foot guide,” said Yuma Border Patrol Chief Justin De La Torre.
He said their search and rescue team, BORSTAR, heads into the remote parts of the desert to locate and assist migrants who are lost or in distress. They have over 20 rescue beacons out in the desert that people can use in an emergency.
These beacons are designed to help people in distress and quickly alert emergency services, providing a lifeline for hikers, migrants, and others who may become lost, dehydrated, or injured in the desert.
So far this year, they’ve rescued 19 people, an 80% decrease compared to last year. De La Torre attributes this drop to a reduction in border crossings.
“It’s not worth your life to be smuggled in by a criminal organization,” said De La Torre.
Under the Trump administration, legal pathways for migrants have been severely restricted. When asked if he expects more people to attempt the journey through the desert with fewer avenues available, De La Torre said he believes the message is clear.
“The people who were coming for economic reasons, we believe the message is out, that this is not the way to cross because we’ve seen such a reduction in the number of people crossing,” he said.
De La Torre said they’re now seeing fewer families illegally crossing the border and more single adults.
“Many of the people that we’re arresting right now are people with criminal records, so these are folks that are trying to sneak in, they’re trying to take the most dangerous routes because they have no legal means of coming to the country,” he said.
De La Torre believes some of the responsibility falls on U.S. employers who hire undocumented workers, which he said fuels human smuggling. He points to the H-2A Agriculture work program as a legal option for people who want to work in the U.S.
He said people living in the U.S. illegally should consider leaving voluntarily, a choice that he said could benefit them in the long run.
“You will have the ability to apply for a visa in the future,” De La Torre said.
People who are apprehended and removed by immigration officials often face serious consequences, including possible jail time, substantial fines, and a prohibition from re-entering the country for up to five years.
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