Arizona port of entry to close due to huge numbers of asylum seekers, say officials

So many asylum seekers are crossing from Mexico into the United States around remote Lukeville, Arizona, that US officials say they will close the port of entry there so that the operations officials who watch over vehicle and pedestrian traffic going both ways can help border patrol agents detain and process the new arrivals.

The US Customs and Border Protection announced on Friday that the temporary closure of the crossing will start on Monday as officials grapple with changing migration routes that have overwhelmed border patrol agents stationed there. Arizona’s US senators and governor called the planned closure “unacceptable”.

Customs and Border Protection said it is “surging all available resources to expeditiously and safely process migrants” and will “continue to prioritize our border security mission as necessary in response to this evolving situation”.

The area around the desert crossing has become a major migration route in recent months, with smugglers dropping off people from countries as far away as Senegal, India and China. Most of them walk into the US west of Lukeville through gaps in the wall, then head east toward the official border crossing to surrender to the first agents they see in hopes for a chance at asylum.