YUMA, Ariz. (NewsNation Now) — An incomplete border wall that was meant to separate the U.S. and Mexico now acts as an entry point for an estimated 1,000 migrants who enter the country through Yuma, Arizona daily, according to a county supervisor.
Under the Biden administration, the wall being constructed along the southern border was never completed. What’s left are at times mileslong stretches of fenceless borderland.
For one family who crossed through the so-called Yuma Gap before sunrise Tuesday, their arrival marked the end of an eight-day walk in pursuit of political asylum.
The couple and their 6-year-old daughter were out of breath when they arrived. Locating drinking water and Border Patrol were their top priorities upon entering the U.S.
“I need help. I heard the United States gives political asylum to people,” the man said. “I want to ask for help.”
Later that morning, a larger family with a young girl struggled to cross a canal on U.S. soil just beyond the wall. They eventually made it to the other side but were stopped by Border Patrol soon after.
Yuma County District 2 Supervisor Jonathan Lines believes the surge of people crossing the Yuma Gap won’t ease up unless the federal government provides more assistance.
“We need them to fulfill their commitment on finishing this wall,” he said.
Border Patrol officers say the wall works, but the large gaps where the wall remains incomplete render it useless.
Once people successfully cross, it’s not uncommon for them to actively seek out Border Patrol. That’s because many prefer to receive a future court date sooner rather than later to fast-track their quest for asylum, local officers have said.
‘It just doesn’t stop,” Lines said. “That’s the real tragedy, right? it just continues to compound itself.”