According to local reports, about 600 illegal aliens crossed into the United States on Wednesday night into early Thursday morning.

“Roughly 600 people crossed in separate groups into Yuma since midnight according to volunteers handing out water,” said reporter Ali Bradley. “When I arrived there were roughly 100 still waiting. This is the gap I’m told will stay open to act as a funnel for Border Patrol to work more efficiently.”

Illegal alien encounters, particularly in Yuma, have jumped during the Biden administration.

In a recent interview with The Arizona Sun Times, Yuma Mayor Douglas Nicholls said that Biden’s eradication of former President Donald Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy was partly to blame.

“The ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy of the Trump administration was ordered put back in place by the courts, but that has not fully happened,” he told The Sun Times. “In 2019 and 2020, there were 50 to 60 migrants a day being returned under the policy. Now, there are only about 10 a day. With 1,000 coming across the border daily now, that’s only 1 percent.”

The fate of that program went through a lengthy process in federal courts before it was finally ended earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Yuma is targeting gaps in its border wall in an attempt to stop illegal aliens from crossing, and dissuade others from attempting to cross.

Governor Doug Ducey (R) issued an executive order to plug the gaps using shipping containers.

“Arizona has had enough,” Ducey said last week. “We can’t wait any longer. The Biden administration’s lack of urgency on border security is a dereliction of duty. For the last two years, Arizona has made every attempt to work with Washington to address the crisis on our border. Time and time again we’ve stepped in to clean up their mess. Arizonans can’t wait any longer for the federal government to deliver on their delayed promises.”

That project is already underway.

Under the Biden administration, the United States has seen an uptick in illegal immigration unmatched in recent history.

In June, the last month for which such data is available, 207,416 were caught attempting to cross into the country.

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Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Illegal Immigrants” by Ali Bradley.