NOGALES, Ariz — In the two weeks since the border crossing closed in Lukeville, the nearest ports of entry have seen surges in migrants crossing the border.
"We have a very large volume. We already had big wait times. But this is only added to those wait times making them even longer," said Sheriff David Hathaway.
But this isn't the first crossing closure to impact Nogales, as the Morley Avenue pedestrian crossing has been closed since September.
"It paralyzes Morley Avenue, the walkthrough, basically. So we have some car traffic, but the walking traffic has been, you know, really bad," said Sal Jada, owner of Nogales Tactical.
The Morley Gate crossing is closed due to construction on the Mexico side of the border.
"We heard a couple of times saying November, and then December. That still hasn't happened," said Jada, "There's just been zero real communication on the timelines. Yeah, we asked several officials and they don't know either."
Hathaway says Wednesday that if offered he will decline any assistance form the National Guard, after Governor Katie Hobbs announced the mobilization of the Guard last Friday.
"I would say no, I don't want to militarize the border," said Hathaway.
——
Blake Phillips is a reporter for KGUN 9. Originally from St. Louis, Mo., Blake grew up in Sierra Vista. During his college tenure at the Missouri School of Journalism, Blake worked for the NBC affiliate KOMU-TV in Columbia. He is excited to return to a place he calls home and give back to the community in which he grew up. Share your story ideas and important issues with Blake by emailing blake.phillips@kgun9.com.