YUMA, Ariz. — Editor's Note: The above video is from an earlier broadcast.
Yuma Mayor Douglas Nicholls has declared a local emergency due to the high number of undocumented people that have been crossing through the border city.
The mayor said Thursday his city needs federal and state resources to accommodate an influx of people walking across the U.S.-Mexico border.
“The change in the movement of migrants greatly impacts the Yuma community,” Nicholls said in a statement.
According to the city, more than 6,000 people have walked through the Yuma area in the last five days. The city said this surge in migrants could put a strain on Yuma's medical resources and agricultural industry.
U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly said he's recently spoken to Mayor Nicholls and is working to provide federal resources for the city.
"I spoke to Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas this evening and urged him to take immediate action and send additional resources and staffing to address the surge at the border and ensure a secure, orderly and humane process," Kelly said in a statement.
In October, federal authorities said there were more than 164,000 encounters at the southern border, a 128% increase from October 2020.
Thursday's proclamation should entitle Yuma to receive state and federal funding for aid, relief, and assistance to mitigate the crisis.
Gov. Doug Ducey recently traveled down to Yuma to publicly call for greater border enforcement at the federal level.
"Mr. President, do something, do anything," Ducey said as he slammed the Biden administration, calling the border crisis "a federal issue."
The governor said earlier this week the National Guard will be sending extra resources to support the Arizona Department of Public Safety at the Arizona-Mexico border.
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