Americans say they have been trapped in Mexico by the migrant-hit Arizona border closure – and are considering crossing back into the US illegally on their own rather than make the dangerous eight-hour round trip.
The border crossing at Lukeville has been closed since Dec. 4 as border patrol agents were diverted to deal with thousands of illegal immigrants arriving in the area, some of whom cut down sections of the border wall to flood into the US.
The closure means those at the Mexican border will have to go through ports of entry in Nogales or San Luis Rio Colorado to the east or west, turning a 30-minute or one-hour trip into a six- to eight-hour journey.
“There are so many people who are very upset to see all these 10,000 illegal immigrants come in a day, and they come through the wall that the cartel cut a hole in,” real estate broker Robin Miller, who lives in the coastal town of Rocky Point, told The Post.
“And they just came in, came in. But we are people who have passports [who] legal to go to the state, we cannot go.”
Others point to increased travel that means navigating cartel-controlled territory and poorly maintained desert roads, which can be extremely dangerous.
“I’ve driven that route with my partner many times,” said restaurateur Cynthia Lowe, explaining the Nogales route takes her through the cartel-run town of Caborca.
The normally busy Rocky Point beach has been barren since the Lukeville Port of Entry closed on Dec. 4. X / @KristinHanes
“But to do it alone as a single woman? It’s a bit sketchy.”
Lowe said he had to work until Christmas Eve but wanted to see his children in Tucson for the holiday.
“I seriously contemplated walking through the hole in the wall and having my kids pick me up on the other side,” he said.
“I have one of two options. I can go through the wall, like everyone else does, or I can go through Nogales,” he added.
Lowe operates the Ole Mole restaurant in Rocky Point, which is about an hour from the border.
La Negrita, along with most of the restaurants, has been left empty since the border closure X/ @KristinHanes
He said the town’s tourism-based economy had been completely destroyed by the border closure.
He lost at least 80% of his business since the shutdown took effect on December 4, and had to lay off four workers “with tears in my eyes” within a week.
He had waited for a table himself, even though there were no customers to wait at all.
“Listen, when a strip club closes down, now that’s bad. All t—y bars are closed,” Lowe said.
“This is the worst situation we’ve ever seen,” Miller added.
Despite Lukeville’s closure, locals say migrants are still sneaking through nearby holes in the border fence. Reuters
A day after the closure of the Lukeville border, a record 12,000 migrants crossed into the US along the southern border.
CBP figures from October show 52,000 people have turned up at border stations, while 189,000 people have been detained trying to cross illegally.
With no tourists around to spend their money, the cash crunch has begun to ripple across Rocky Point businesses in what both Miller and Lowe call a “trickle-down effect.”
“You’ve got all the local people here depending on tourist-driven businesses for their livelihood, and you cut that off, that’s going to affect other local businesses,” Lowe said.
“For example, let’s say you get your nails done by a local nail lady. Well, now you’re not going to clean your nails because you lost your job at the beach or at the restaurant or wherever you are.”
Rocky Point depends on tourism to pay its bills. Many locals say 80% of their customers have disappeared since Dec 4. X / @Hectorjr71
“It’s a trickle down effect. And it melted very, very quickly,” he added.
Footage and photos taken by Kristen Hanes, who runs the travel blog The Wayward Home and lives in Rocky Point during the winter, show the town’s usually busy beaches with no visitors and empty streets.
Local residents have complained leaders in Mexico and the US alike have left them high and dry without meaningful help to weather the shutdown.
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Lowe contacted Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs’ office for help, but said she was advised to contact Senator Kyrsten Sinema, who was no longer helpful.
“They are very unsympathetic. Very cool and dry response. Basically saying, ‘Okay, we’ll pass on your concerns. Thank you. Thanks for calling.'”
Governor Hobbs sent a letter to President Biden on December 8 asking him to use the National Guard to reopen the Lukeville crossing, but so far no action has been taken.
Local charities, residents and businesses have started to take matters into their own hands – but their resources are also being strained.
A restaurant that normally gives Christmas toys to its employees’ children ended up giving parents cash instead to help them survive.
The city’s annual toy drive has been postponed altogether.
Even the Rocky Point animals are struggling.
Barb’s Dog Rescue stores its dog food across the border in Arizona and relies on volunteer travelers to haul heavy bags to rescues when they travel south.
Without tourists, rescuers ran out of food within a week of the shutdown and had to pay $4,000 for another week’s worth of food.
“I don’t understand the thinking behind this,” Lowe said of the border closure.
“Whoever made this is really stupid. Didn’t think this one through at all.”
“You affect everyone children, women, men, children, businesses, dogs, everyone. Everyone.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
