Pima County officials say preparations set to assist migrants with shelter, transportation

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Title 42 ends Thursday evening, after several extensions of its inevitable expiration date. But this isn't the first time Pima County has had to prepare for the end of Title 42.

"We've been dealing with this for four years,” Mark B. Evans, Pima County Communications Director, says.

“There have been several points where Title 42 was going to sunset, and we prepared for that but it got extended.”

Now that it’s officially coming to an end—the county says it's ready.

“All the measures that can be taken have been taken,” Evans tells me. “We only have so many places we can put people. We only have so many people that can provide assistance at those shelter locations.”

So they're hoping for outside help.

“We are looking to other agencies who have greater resources which include the state and federal government.”

To make things more pressing, summer is around the corner.

“What we don’t want is to have people in the summertime on the street with no cover, no shade, no place to sleep...so there are hotels, there are multiple places that people are staying,” says Evans.

But even having those resources on hand may not be enough for the possible influx come Thursday night.

“We had about 13,000 last month," Evans tells me. "We are uncertain how many we will have this month but it's going to be much more than that.”

Evans says that Tucson will likely be a temporary stop for asylum-seeking migrants who arrive here. So whether it’s providing a bed, or helping with travel arrangements, Pima County officials say they are ready.

“Not everyone needs a bed. Some people get here in the morning, they already have travel arrangements,” says Evans. “So really what we are trying to do is facilitate their further travel.”