On Monday, the Mayor of Gila Bend of Arizona is very concerned about the escalating crisis at the border as news of potentially sending the surge of illegal immigrants heading for his community.
Arizona mayor outraged as feds plan to drop off illegal immigrants in his community: The mayor of Gila Bend, Ariz., told Fox News on Monday he is very concerned about the escalating crisis at the Mexican border as news of a potentially unending influx of… https://t.co/SXzJvkZYVC pic.twitter.com/mZ7afugDsm
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Mayor Chris Rigs an Independent told Your World that his town is located about halfway between Sonoyta, Sonora, Mexico, and Phoenix, is essentially being made into a waypoint for illegal immigrants apprehended by federal authorities.
Risa also told Fox News Charles Payne that Gila Bend is already “very economically depressed” and that it does not even have the basic necessary supplies. He added that it does not even have the basic resources that are needed for what he fears could be an expensive unfunded mandate of sorts.
Riggs also added, “We can barely afford to take care of the people that we have here and our community now, and as of this second, the Border Patrol advised us that they’re going to drop people off here and do sort of like: ‘They’re your problem’.”
The mayor also added that they do not have the capacity to take care of the surge of migrants. Stating the fact that it will cost them tens of thousands of dollars per year just to be able to provide them with a bottle of water and a sandwich when the migrants are dropped off.
Other than the notification that his town will be the drop-off point for captured illegal immigrants and asylum seekers, Riggs also added that the feds are not providing any crucial, empirical information such as COVID-19 infection rates of migrants.
The mayor also told the Fox News host that he is very worried about the elderly population in the area. Riggs said, “I have a lot of seniors and elders here between Gila Bend and San Lucy Village that are susceptible to COVID-19” as he refers to a community just north downtown that is populated mostly by members of the Tohono O’odham tribe.
He also added that Arizona has not seen the Coronavirus outbreak that other areas had experience and yet they are going to get “punished” for the choices that the administration will make.
He also added that they have not seen the COVID-19 outbreak that other areas
“We are completely in the dark. We asked for documentation, some kind of documentation. Give us something. We’re still not getting anything. So I mean, we’re frustrated with how we’re being treated through a crisis that they started,” Riggs said.
The mayor also added that his home adjoins an expansive Sonoran Desert National Monument and that he has seen a rise in foot traffic through the area that resembles to include a sizeable number of people acting as “drug mules.”
He continued and said, “It needs to stop. The federal government has to step up and do its job. They’re the ones that created this problem, they need to fix it.”
Meanwhile, Fox News host added that border crossers include people from outside, mostly from Central American countries accounted for and that Cuban, Brazilian, Romanian and Haitian nationals have been seen coming through the border illegally.
