SAN LUIS, AZ — Following up on our 48 Hours on the Border coverage, we noticed that Arizona's border communities have been uniquely impacted by intermittent surges in migrant encounters that we've seen over the past year.
San Luis, Arizona, in Yuma County, is no different.
Walking down Main Street in San Luis feels like you're stepping into another world.
Within the town, there are very few language or cultural barriers, but there are physical ones, like the San Luis Port of Entry. On average, 7,000 people cross each day, according to the data provided by the City of San Luis.
Julio is one of those people; he crosses daily from San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, to work on a farm on the Arizona side to support his family.
"I get in line every night around 11 p.m.," he says.
Because he's in line at an off-peak time, he typically misses a lot of the foot traffic — but not everyone is as lucky, like Francesca Bustamante, who tells ABC15 that wait times at the border have gone up recently.
Bustamante has homes on both the U.S. and Mexico sides of the border, so crossing for her is a must.
"I was waiting two, maybe three hours just to cross," she explained.
Steps away from the Port of Entry is a children's clothing store where manager Angelica Carrillo has also noticed wait times going up.
"I've seen a lot more movement," Bustamante explains. "More lines to cross and also more field workers coming over."
Bustamante adds that wait times of up to four hours are not unheard of and recommends not even crossing on a Sunday due to long wait times.
But waiting longer at the border hasn't stopped everyone— like Francisca and her friends who came from San Luis Rio Colorado for a day of errands, shopping, and lunch.
"We'll come for a quick coffee, maybe grab a burger," Francisca explains. "It's just a really nice day!"
Long lines or not, workers like Julio have no choice – but that's not the only thing he's noticed.
Latest 48 Hours on the Border coverage:
First responders along Arizona's border talk about what their departments need Listening to concerns from people impacted by immigration policy changes Yuma mayor talks about proposed immigration changes in second Trump term Revisiting Jim Chilton's ranch on the border after the election Nogales leaders weigh in on what tariffs could mean along Arizona’s border"I've noticed a lot more people arriving," Julio said. "And they're coming from all over."
Julio says he has seen many more people crossing lately, some illegally, and others legally to obtain work.
Whether it's long lines or increased competition in the fields where he earns his pay, none of it seems to bother Julio who welcomes new people to San Luis.
The City of San Luis says they have roughly 40,000 full-time residents - but that number explodes when you think about the three million cars and 2.5 million people crossing on foot each year on average.
Still, San Luis, Arizona, has the unique ability to maintain a small, hometown feel that gives its residents a sense of "orgullo" — or pride.
