TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Governor Katie Hobbs spent Tuesday in Tucson meeting with city and county officials to anticipate southern Arizona's needs following Title 42's impending expiration.
With less than two days left until Title 42 is set to expire, migrant shelters like Casa Alitas are already at capacity—and that has state and local officials very concerned, as they are expecting a huge uptick in migrants seeking asylum.
"With Title 42 set to expire in just two days it doesn't appear that the federal government is prepared," Hobbs said in an afternoon news conference. "Critical to our success on the ground are local governments like the city of Tucson and Pima County and local law enforcement."
With title 42 set to expire Thursday night, focus has now shifted to area migrant shelters expecting a major surge.
Casa Alitas, run by Catholic Community Services, is one of those shelters where people are turning their attention.
Shelter staff and volunteers, despite having a newly-leased large warehouse space to house legal asylum seekers, are expecting the high volume of people to be an issue in the coming days.
Tucson Bishop Edward Weisenburger tells me that they are anticipating a need for many more volunteers. He says they have put out calls for the community to lend their time in the coming days, and have received a large response.
Pat Parris: "People are getting a little anxious about the end of Title 42. I know with Casa Alitas it's going to probably feel like a lot of pressure, maybe get a lot more migrants coming here."
Bishop Weisenburger: "Oh, I think so. We're anticipating a great, great many people coming to us in great need. The church has a 2,000 year history of responding to people in their greatest crisis."
Funding for the new Casa Alitas space comes from FEMA. Asylum seekers being admitted to the shelter must apply at a port of entry. Customs and Border Protection's CBP One app is another resource available for migrants to make application appointments.
In order to be eligible for asylum, people cannot have been in the U.S. for more than a year's time already—though CBP says "extraordinary circumstances" can lead to exceptions.
In the coming days, asylum seekers will arrive by bus to shelters around the region. In Cochise County, some immigrants have already been processed and are being relocated to Casa Alitas and other shelters prior to Title 42's expiration.
KGUN 9 TEAM COVERAGE:
- New large shelter for asylum seekers bracing for end of Title 42
- Migrant shelters prepare for influx ahead of Title 42 expiration this week
- Local church leader shares the stories of asylum seekers she helps
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Pat Parris is an anchor and reporter for KGUN 9. He is a graduate of Sabino High School where he was the 1982 high school state track champion in the 800 meters. While in high school and college, he worked part-time in the KGUN 9 newsroom. Share your story ideas and important issues with Pat by emailing pat.parris@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.