Along the 30-foot border wall tracks along the bank
marked the journey from Mexico into Arizona migrants
crossed the Maria Morelos Dam, some clutching on the
young Children, a trek from various parts of the world.
They're coming from Colombia. These families walk until
they reach a big gap along the border wall in Yuma
county Arizona where they wait for border patrol an
escape for some by the time people get to the wall
there in the United States, but a strain for a county
with limited resources, we need to get these uh, these
gaps filled up. There's 52 gaps, 52 gates missing in
the border and about seven miles of fencing missing and
a lot electronics missing. Last december, the Yuma
mayor declared a humanitarian crisis at the border
since october agents have encountered nearly 100 and
19,000 migrants along the Yuma sector which includes
part of California. That's more than fiscal year 2021
altogether and nearly 14 times more than 2020 during
the pandemic. Mhm. Some immigrants say their journey is
one of life or death. Hana says he waited more than
eight months in Mexico with his family in hopes of
claiming asylum. With no clear path. He grew desperate,
panting and thirsty. Five men from west Africa sought
water. They fled political unrest in Senegal like
clockwork border Patrol agents loaded immigrants onto
busses their lives packed into a carry on suitcase or
less. 100 and six different countries have crosse
so far this year. So that water over there is the
spillway, Jonathan lines. A huma County supervisor met
Alejandro Mayorkas, the secreta of the Department of
Homeland Security and asked for more technology and
agents to secure the border. What was the commitment
from the Secretary of the Department of Homeland
Security will be filled to secure this area and to
close up the 11 gaps that they identified in that
meeting. A move counter to President joe biden's
campaign promise there will not be another foot of wall
constructed in my administratio a 1 to 10 scale.
How confident are you that these gaps are going to be
filled by the end of the year out of seven. Mhm. Gaps
along the border wall range anywhere from the size of
the door to more than 12 ft and some gaps are even
bigger in december may orcas authorized customs and
border protection to address what he called life safety
and environmental remediation projects in California
Arizona and texas. The projects include closing small
gaps that remain open from prior construction. Our
efforts in order to stop some destruction to sensit
habitats in places. Miles trap Hagan with wildlands
network has been tracking the construction of the
border wall for several years. He fears more wall will
put humans and wildlife in danger If we build border
walls across these species habitats. They could suffer
from regional extra extra patients, which means that
that's a localized extinction event. The sonoran
pronghorn, the bighorn sheep, the jaguar and other
animals migrate through Arizona and 2021 Border Patrol
data shows migrant deaths along the southwest border.
Reached the historic high these border walls are
essentially killing machines and they're killing
machines for humans and for wildlife. Yuma. County
leaders say the gaps will be filled by september 1st.
DHS has yet to respond to calls and emails from Newsy
For some, the Border wall defined security. For othe
it marks another hurdle they must overcome to pave a
path of opportunities for the next generation in
Arizona, Adi Guajardo, Newsy