Tucson Standard

The Arizona Democratic Congressional House of Representatives Primary Candidates for 2020 are celebrating the reopening of the Lukeville port of entry, which had been closed due to a lack of resources from the federal government.

Senator Gabaldon expressed her relief at the reopening, stating, "I am happy to see the Lukeville port of entry reopen. The month-long closure created negative economic impacts on Arizona’s surrounding border cities and towns, including Nogales and Naco." She further elaborated on the humanitarian issues caused by the closure, such as family separations. Gabaldon also highlighted that while this is a positive step, more needs to be done. "The Biden administration still needs to send a surge of resources and staffing to Southern Arizona and start working with Congress to deal with the root causes of migration and develop a coordinated and long-term federal response," she said.

Representative Sandoval echoed similar sentiments. "As a Representative of the district that includes Lukeville and after advocating directly to President Biden, I’m pleased to see the port of entry reopen today," he said. However, Sandoval emphasized that without critical funding from the federal government, border communities like Why and Ajo would continue to suffer economically. He pointed out that Pima County's funds for addressing the humanitarian crisis at the border were depleting rapidly.

According to azcentral, closing this point of entry caused serious economic harm. The news outlet reported that currently, the White House has been struggling with handling incoming asylum seekers, leading to backlash. They highlighted an ongoing migrant crisis resulting in nearly 10,000 arrests or detentions per day.

12news provided additional context about how travelers were affected during its closure. The news source stated that during its month-long closure, travelers had to drive three hours east in order to cross the border. They noted that this port is typically used for passenger traffic and predicted fluctuating migrant numbers in future. The news outlet also mentioned that Lukeville is located in the Border Patrol's Tucson sector, which was the busiest region for border crossings in October. Approximately 3,140 people in vehicles and 184 pedestrians cross the border here daily.