Salvation Army closes shelter, using hotel rooms in Yuma due to fewer migrants

YUMA, Ariz. (AP) -- A drop in the number of Central American migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in the Yuma area has prompted the Salvation Army to use hotel rooms instead of operating a shelter.

Capt. Jeff Breazeale told the Yuma Sun that the Salvation Army continues to provide services but is saving on the expense of operating the shelter in a former thrift store in a strip mall.

The shelter opened in March as the number of families crossing the border soared to more than 300 people nightly in May.

Agent Jose Garibay, a spokesman for the Border Patrol's Yuma Sector, said a downward trend in the number of migrants being detained for illegally crossing the border became evident in June.