LUKEVILLE, Ariz. — A U.S.-Mexico border crossing in Arizona previously limited vehicle traffic. Now, it's closing entirely because so many migrants are crossing from Mexico into the United States.
The Lukeville port of entry on the Arizona-Mexico border will close to both pedestrians and vehicles on Monday, Dec. 4 "until further notice," Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced on Friday. The agency will temporarily pivot to helping U.S. Border Patrol take migrants into custody.
"In response to increased levels of migrant encounters at the Southwest Border, fueled by smugglers peddling disinformation to prey on vulnerable individuals, CBP is surging all available resources to expeditiously and safely process migrants," the agency said.
Travelers can cross into or out of the U.S. through Nogales, a three-hour drive to the east, or San Luis, a two-hour drive to the west. CBP confirmed that includes locals who cross daily for school and work.
Arizona Senators Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema along with Gov. Katie Hobbs issued a statement that said the shutdown is "unacceptable."
"This is an unacceptable outcome that further destabilizes our border, risks the safety of our communities, and damages our economy by disrupting trade and tourism," the statement said. "The Federal Government must act swiftly to maintain port of entry operations, get the border under control, keep Arizona communities safe, and ensure the humane treatment of migrants."
Officers who would otherwise manage the "everyday travel of workers and tourists that businesses rely on and trade that drives our economy forward are now being moved to help process migrants," the statement said.
"Enough is enough – Arizona deserves real solutions to our border crisis. The Administration must send immediate resources to secure the border and help our communities. Partisan politicians who parrot talking points while watching the border further deteriorate must reject the echo chamber and work with us to get something done and keep our communities safe," the statement continued.
Lukeville, southwest of Phoenix, is the closest port of entry to "Arizona's beach," Puerto Peñasco in Mexico. Geographically, Lukeville is roughly 120 miles from both Nogales and San Luis ports of entry, and most of the landscape in between is undeveloped desert.
An average of 3,140 people in vehicles and 184 pedestrians entered the U.S. daily in Lukeville during October, according to the U.S. Transportation Department’s latest figures.
Lukeville is in Border Patrol's Tucson sector, which was the single busiest region for border crossings in October. Staffing cuts to legal trade and travel are the latest response to demands for processing people who cross the border illegally, often to seek asylum, the Associated Press reported.
“As we respond with additional resources and apply consequences for unlawful entry, the migration trends shift as well. We continue to adjust our operational plans to maximize enforcement efforts against those noncitizens who do not use lawful pathways or processes such as CBP One™ and those without a legal basis to remain in the United States,” CBP said.
You can click here for more information about Ports of Entry and wait times.
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