Yuma, Arizona mayor sounds alarm on migrant surge: 'The number is staggering'

Yuma mayor declares local emergency due to influx of migrants

Yuma Mayor Douglas Nicholls has declared a local emergency because of the large number of migrants illegally crossing the border.

YUMA, Ariz. - The mayor of Yuma, Arizona said on Friday that the number of migrant border crossings in the area has reached a "staggering" level.

"We know it's been extremely busy this last year in comparison to the previous couple of years, so while the number is staggering, it’s not that surprising given what we’ve been dealing with here throughout the region," Mayor Douglas Nicholls told "Fox & Friends."

Yuma law enforcement officials describe themselves as overwhelmed after a surge of illegal immigrants passed through one border city. Last week, more than 6,000 people crossed through Yuma.

Hundreds of illegal immigrants are crossing through a gap in the unfinished border wall in Yuma each day.

The sheriff’s office, the Arizona National Guard and families in Yuma are all concerned about the unprecedented number of people crossing illegally.

Since October of this year, Customs and Border Protection reported close to 22,000 encounters in the Yuma Sector.

VIDEO: Yuma law enforcement overwhelmed by migrant surge

That's a 2,647% increase from this time last year. One law enforcement official in the area described the situation as "absolute chaos."

Nicholls, a Republican, said border agents are spread thin.

"The Remain in Mexico program, as it gets implemented, the Yuma sector will only have 10 slots a day to put people into the program. So 10 people a day, when you have about a thousand people crossing," Nichols said, adding that the Yuma sector is one of two sectors along the Arizona-Mexico border.

Fox News' Ashley Soriano contributed to this report.

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