Lukeville Port of Entry is open: Here's what is happening at the border crossing
LUKEVILLE — The Lukeville-Sonoyta Port of Entry reopened shortly after 6 a.m. Thursday after a monthlong closure that severed a vital lifeline for communities on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.
The official border crossing reopened at 6:02 a.m. and allowed the waiting travelers to pass through. There were 10 cars waiting to cross into Mexico while a few dozen others were processed into the U.S.
Pima County officials met with local business owners and advocates hours after the port reopened to discuss the impact of the closing. The reopening comes after a month of closure that has inflicted harsh economic and social effects on communities in Arizona and Sonora.
“This is not a minor inconvenience for some tourists headed to the beach,” said Aaron Cooper, the executive director of the Ajo-based International Sonoran Desert Alliance.
“This changes the lives of people living in small and vulnerable communities of color.”
Senior Biden administration officials announced the reopening Tuesday afternoon along with the resumption of operations at the Morley Pedestrian Port of Entry in Nogales. U.S. Customs and Border Protection closed the Lukeville port on Dec. 4 because of an increase in migrant arrivals in the nearby Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.
About a mile away from the Lukeville Port of Entry, a once-bustling area for migrant arrivals was barren and empty as the morning sun rose over a nearby hill. The area is in the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument where hundreds of migrants used to surrender daily to Border Patrol agents.
CBP closed down the port to reassign port officers to help Border Patrol process and transport migrants arriving in the remote desert area. Residents, advocates and business owners on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border rejoiced in the decision to reopen the port.
“The economic impact has been devastating to this area,” said Adelita Grijalva, chair of the Pima County Board of Supervisors, during the news conference.
“Now that it's open, we can focus the real energy on working with our federal partners in advocating for the kind of immigration reform that we need in order to make our system make sense.”
Bernadette Nez, the Why Not Travel Store store manager in Why, Arizona, saw a 90% drop in sales since the port closed down. The business is barely making enough to cover its electric bill.
“I know it's only been a month, but it was a long time. It was a long month,” Nez said. “Hopefully, it stays open.”
The reopening’s effects have already been felt by the business. People heading to Mexico were already waiting outside the store when it opened Thursday morning.
One of the store’s assistant managers who lives in Sonoyta, Sonora, was able to finally come into work Thursday after the port reopened. The store went back to regular hours after having cut back their closing time by one hour during the closure.
“We all gave him big hugs because we missed him,” Nez said. “We're just very happy to see everybody and have everybody back down.”
A few steps away from the store, Rosalba Bustamante, owner of Granny's Kitchen restaurant, sat in her restaurant. She hoped that the port would not close again.
Many of Bustamante’s employees live in Sonoyta and the closure made it extremely difficult for them to see their families while maintaining their job. The closure inflated their typical 40-minute commute from Sonoyta into 9-12 hours each way.
Bustamante had to let two of her employees go as business dwindled during her traditionally-peak winter season.
“Let’s hope that the economy improves here because it was very affected,” Bustamante said. “The first few days were difficult, but I had enough support.”
Tony Wayland, a Goodyear resident, was one of the first people in line at the port Thursday morning. He sat in his truck hauling a flatbed trailer in the early morning darkness.
“It’s a good thing, it should’ve happened earlier,” Wayland said. “However, there are working businesses down here that are starving and it’s not right.”
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs welcomed the news but said that the closure shouldn’t have happened in the first place. Hobbs urged the federal government to send more resources to the border to ensure that another port closure doesn’t happen.
“The closure of the Lukeville Port of Entry caused a month of strain and concern for Arizona’s border communities,” Hobbs said in a written statement. “While Lukeville will be reopened soon, it’s clear we have work to do to secure our border.”
In December, Hobbs sent members of the National Guard to southern Arizona, including near the Lukeville port, in response to the port’s closure. Members are tasked with helping law enforcement agencies with fentanyl interdiction, analytical support and human trafficking enforcement efforts.
National Guard members cannot operate the Lukeville port without federal orders.
CBP announced that operations also will resume at the Eagle Pass International Bridge I in Eagle Pass, Texas, and at the San Ysidro Port of Entry Pedestrian West crossing in San Diego.
This is a developing story. Follow along for more updates.
Have a news tip or story idea about the border and its communities? Contact the reporter at josecastaneda@arizonarepublic.com or connect with him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @joseicastaneda.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Is Lukeville border crossing open? What to know about point of entry
