Lawmakers are continuing to call on the Biden administration to respond to a situation unfolding outside the border community of Lukeville — where hundreds of migrants are awaiting processing by the Border Patrol.
Customs and Border Protection closed the Lukeville Port of Entry indefinitely, saying it was directing resources to respond to a large number of migrants who needed to be taken into custody.
In a letter to the Biden administration, U.S. Representative Raul Grijalva of southern Arizona said closing that port was forcing migrants trying to seek asylum into more dangerous areas, and said the administration should surge resources to reopen the crossing.
He also called on sending FEMA resources to the site to bolster the humanitarian response. The agency was deployed to the border back in 2021 to help care for a large number of unaccompanied children arriving there.
A FEMA spokesperson said the agency was not currently deployed in Lukeville, but deferred to the Department of Homeland Security for future plans.
DHS did not immediately respond to questions about the request.
