Gila Bend mayor says town isn't equipped to handle migrant families being dropped off
GILA BEND, Ariz. - Gila Bend is a town that has about 2,000 residents and is not equipped to handle migrant families being dropped off, says mayor Chris Riggs, who declared a state of emergency due to the ongoing crisis at the border.
"We got our first one yesterday, a total of 16 people. Five of the families were from Venezuela, one of the families was from Chile," Riggs says.
They are being dropped off in Gila Bend, but they can’t stay. There’s nowhere to go, Riggs says. The town is about 70 miles from the US-Mexico border.
On March 22, the mayor borrowed vans to make the nearly two-hour drive to Phoenix with the families.
"The group that came here, they had little bitty kids, if they had to stay here 24 hours, the only thing they could do is sleep in the park and I can’t do that to kids," Riggs says.
Pastor Magdalena Schwartz has helped families in the past through church groups but says she can’t right now.
Why? COVID-19 is putting more strain on the situation.
"I call all the pastors, I talk to everyone that helped us in the past. They said, 'This time, we can’t. We can’t because of the pandemic,'" Schwartz explains.
Another barrier, Riggs says, is that it'll impact the town financially to give the migrant families COVID-19 tests.
"People are very concerned because what we’re hearing is the Brazilian form of COVID is running in some of these migrants. We can’t afford to have that here," Riggs says.
Another issue is transportation. "We were not able to get transportation. None of the governmental groups were willing to help. None of the non-governmental groups were willing to help," said a town council member in a Tuesday meeting.
Gila Bend Mayor says there are many reasons why the town cannot house migrant families
Gila Bend is a town that has about 2,000 residents and is not equipped to handle migrant families being dropped off, says mayor Chris Riggs, who declared a state of emergency due to the ongoing crisis at the border.
More immigration news from FOX 10:
Featured
Migrant crisis forces Arizona border town to declare 'state of emergency'
Riggs, in a First on FOX Business interview, said that his town is not equipped to handle the number of people coming in, especially in the middle of a pandemic.
Featured
Businesses near U.S.-Mexico border struggle with boundaries’ closure
In border towns across the U.S., small businesses are reeling from the economic fallout of the partial closure of North America’s international boundaries.
Featured
Arizona governor, Florida senator blast Biden over Mexico border
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey visited the border city of Douglas with other Republican lawmakers as the area has seen a surge in migrants.