Proclamation by the Chairman of the Yuma County Board of Supervisors Declaring an Eme

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Proclamation by the Chairman of the Yuma County Board of Supervisors Declaring an Emergency in the Unincorporated Areas of Yuma County to Address the Health and Humanitarian Border Crisis




Post Date:12/14/2022 11:00 AM

Proclamation by the Chairman of the Yuma County Board of Supervisors

Declaring an Emergency in the Unincorporated Areas of Yuma County to Address the Health and Humanitarian Border Crisis

Yuma County Chairman Tony Reyes has declared an emergency in the unincorporated areas of Yuma County to address the continuing health and humanitarian crisis at the US/Mexico border.

With the County facing a “triple threat” of COVID-19, Respiratory Syncytial Virus and the flu, and the increasing number of asylum seekers and migrants entering Yuma County from Mexico, local healthcare resources are being stressed.

More than 300,000 apprehensions have been made by Yuma Sector agents in fiscal year 2022. The number of asylum seekers is expected to increase sharply with the expiration of Title 42 on Wednesday, December 21. The emergency declaration will allow for additional flexibility and resources to address the evolving issue.

PROCLAMATION:

WHEREAS, The Chairman of the Yuma County Board of Supervisors is authorized by the Yuma County Emergency Operations Plan and by A.R.S. § 26-311, et seq. to declare an emergency; and

WHEREAS, Yuma County is currently in the midst of a “Triple Threat” of COVID-19, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and Influenza (Flu), with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently increasing Yuma County’s COVID-19 community levels for transmissibility to “High”, and thereby posing a significant health risk to all County residents and visitors; and

WHEREAS, the number of asylum seekers and migrants entering Yuma County from Mexico continues to increase, with more than 310,000 apprehensions made by Yuma Sector agents in the Fiscal Year 2022 alone; and

WHEREAS, Title 42 of the Public Health Services Act, a code that allows for the suspension of entry of individuals into the United States to protect public health, which has been in place since March of 2020 is scheduled to end on December 21, 2022; and

WHEREAS, the number of asylum seekers and migrants is expected to increase by 40% or more once Title 42 expires; and

WHEREAS, the projected increase of asylum seekers and migrants has and will continue to strain the ability of medical staff and local hospital resources to provide essential and necessary medical care to Yuma residents as well as the migrant community; and

WHEREAS, the increased numbers of asylum seekers and migrants will place a severe strain on federal and state resources, nonprofit organizations and others providing humanitarian and healthcare services; and

WHEREAS, there are no shelters currently activated to accommodate asylum seekers and migrants, increasing the likelihood of their release into the streets of Yuma County;

NOW, THEREFORE I, Marco A. "Tony" Reyes, Chairman of the Yuma County Board of Supervisors, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and Laws of the State, do hereby determine that the health and humanitarian border crisis presents conditions in Yuma County which may be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of Yuma County, and thus justifies a declaration of emergency; accordingly, pursuant to A.R.S. § 26-311, I do hereby:

1. Declare that an emergency now exists in the unincorporated areas of Yuma County;

2. Declare that the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors shall, during such emergency, govern by proclamation and shall have the authority to impose all necessary regulations to preserve the peace and order of the unincorporated areas of the County; and

3. Declare that during this emergency, political subdivisions have full power to provide mutual aid to any affected area in accordance with local ordinances, resolutions, emergency plans or agreements therefor.






https://www.yumacountyaz.gov/Home/Co...ncy-management