A new processing center may soon be built on the south side of Yuma, Arizona in a move to keep up with increased migrant traffic out of Mexico.
The Department of Homeland Security opened a modern 90,000 square-foot processing facility in the spring of 2021 on the property of the Yuma Sector Border Patrol Headquarters.
But a need for additional space has prompted the agency to propose construction of a new facility on some 40 acres in the city.
As proposed, the new 180,000 square-foot center will be designed to process up to 1,000 migrants.
A preliminary environmental assessment document says additional features of the project will include: “Public and private parking areas, a temporary fuel island with above ground storage tanks, stormwater management system, roadways, emergency generators, and utilities.”
In a public notice, Homeland Security says it is seeking input from potential state, local, or Tribal partners for a project to “support humanitarian efforts along the southwestern United States/Mexico international border.”
Input from those potential partners or the general public on the project will then be used to “inform the environmental planning process concerning the proposed project, including planning and analysis pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act.”
Two sites have so far been mentioned as possible homes for the new center: an area that is part of the popular Yuma Swap Meet outdoor market at 4000 S. 4th Avenue, and a vacant property currently owned by and just to the west of the Yuma Airport Authority.
The project has been talked about for at least the last two years.
While the number of migrants entering Yuma has decreased from an estimated 7,000 a week in 2021 to roughly 1,000 today, local officials have expressed concerns that a new surge could prove overwhelming.
The Yuma Sector Border Patrol is tasked with overseeing just under 182,000 square miles of desert land in both southwestern Arizona and southeastern California.
By Garry Boulard
