Local officials say they are seeing high numbers of asylum seekers being brought to Tucson, and are again looking for donations to help.
In his newsletter this week, Tucson City Council member Steve Kozachik said about 400 people arrive on a typical day, and as many as 700 people have arrived in a single day.
Asylum seekers are dropped off by immigration officers in places like Tucson after undergoing processing at the border. They are legally allowed to be in the U.S. to await asylum hearings. Kozachik’s office is looking for new underwear, socks and personal hygiene products to donate to local shelters, where families stay before connecting with and traveling to U.S .sponsors. He said the majority of asylum seekers are from Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua.
CNN reports that border officers encountered more than 55,000 people from those countries border-wide in August, marking a sharp increase since last August.
