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LUKEVILLE, Ariz. - The border crossing at Lukeville, Arizona reopened on January 4, one month after it was shut down to handle a surge of migrants, and bribing business and tourism to a grinding halt.
The beach town was on its way to attracting nearly two million people in 2023, according to the visitor's bureau – until the border crossing was closed.
The port of entry reopened at 6 a.m. on Thursday, but it may take some time to get back to normal.
Puerto Peñasco, often called Arizona's beach, became a ghost town in December. Just ask David Grosse, who rents dozens of properties in Rocky Point.
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Lukeville Port of Entry reopens in southern AZ
After being closed for a month, the Lukeville Port of Entry is back open. The border crossing is the main point of entry for travelers heading to Rocky Point. FOX 10s Danielle Miller reports.
"It's a relief to be open again. Because there were so many people coming through or surrendering. But now they’ve solved this issue and people can go down and sit on the beach. It’s been a big issue."
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Rocky Point gets ready for port of entry reopening
The Mexican beach town was on its way to attracting nearly two million people in 2023, according to their visitor's bureau, until a border crossing at Lukeville was closed on Dec. 4 due to a recent migrant surge. Now, property owners in the area say they are hopeful that tourists will return. FOX 10's Brian Webb reports.
The quickest path to Rocky Point via the Lukeville Port of Entry was closed on December 4. Border agents were redirected to deal with a surge of migrants: up to 2,500 a day. But that meant adding hours to the trip to get to Arizona's closest beach, and most tourists decided to steer clear of it.
"Many renters felt uncomfortable," said Grosse. "[They] didn’t want to take the long way, so people got anxious because they didn’t know how long it would last."
Fortunately, December is a fairly slow month for Rocky Point tourism. But hotel occupancy rates went from 25% to 5%, according to the local hotel/motel association. That's not including the kind of person-to-person rental properties that Grosse runs.
MORE: Migrant surge: Worries over domino effect after Lukeville Port of Entry closure
"People have to feel comfortable. They have to be able to jump in their car and go down. Have a good time and come back up. And have it be convenient," he said.
More than 10,000 Rocky Point residents, or one-sixth of the city's population, work in tourism, and many were laid off. Grosse estimates it will take a few months for tourism to bounce back – maybe by spring break in March.