President Trump hosted Mayor Douglas Nicholls of Yuma, Arizona, at the White House Tuesday to discuss the crisis at the southern border that prompted the mayor to declare a state of emergency earlier this month.
The president and acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan met with Mr. Nicholls in the Oval Office “to discuss the security and humanitarian crisis at the southern border,” the White House said. The mayor told the president that Congress needs to act immediately to address the crisis, and thanked the men and women of DHS for their work.
Mr. Nicholls declared a local emergency on April 16, citing the lack of federal resources to accommodate migrants arriving in Yuma. He said they posed an “imminent threat” to life and property in the city.
“The mass release of migrant families from federal detention facilities into the City of Yuma without provisions for adequate food, water, shelter and medical care threatens to cause injury, damage and suffering to persons and property located in the City of Yuma, Yuma County, Arizona as well as causing a humanitarian crisis,” the mayor’s proclamation read.
The White House said the president and the mayor “discussed the importance of continuing the strong federal-state-local collaboration, and both praised the critical work of Governor Doug Ducey” of Arizona.
Border Patrol data shows that apprehensions of migrant families in the Yuma sector have increased 273% so far this fiscal year, from 6,487 to 24,194.
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