U.S. Customs and Border Protection is temporarily halting operations at the Lukeville, Ariz., border crossing amid “increased levels of migrant encounters.” According to border officials, the move is to address a surge in migrant encounters at the border "fueled by smugglers peddling disinformation to prey on vulnerable individuals," and to redirect personnel to help border patrol take migrants into custody, Scripps News reports. Travelers can expect up to a four-hour detour, whether going into Mexico or coming into the U.S., and will have to use the Nogales or San Luis ports of entry. The port that’s on the way to Rocky Point, Mexico, will be closed to both cars and pedestrians. Jaime Chamberlain, chairman of the Nogales Santa Cruz Port Authority, says the closure of the Lukeville port will lead to longer lines at the Nogales ports.
He says a lot of customs officers have already been taken away from inspections to help process people hoping to get asylum. CBP officials say the Tucson area, including Nogales, is already seeing the highest number of migrants coming into the country. From October of last year to October of this year, they saw a 140% jump with more than 33,000 migrants this year. In October, an average of 3,140 individuals in vehicles and 184 pedestrians entered the U.S. daily through Lukeville. It's not clear for how long officials will keep this crossing closed. In Washington, Senate Democrats walked away Friday from negotiations with Republicans on border policy changes, citing what they call intractable GOP demands on asylum and parole reform, reports Punchbowl News. That casts more doubt on the Senate’s ability to pass a huge $105 billion foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.