First responders in Arizona's border communities not only protect the communities they live in, but also the ports of entry and areas surrounding our southern border.
As part of our 48 Hours on the Border series in March, ABC15 spoke to the San Luis Fire Department and San Luis Police Department to get their take on how immigration and surges at the border were impacting their jobs. We decided to head back to Yuma County recently to check in and see what these departments still need.
In a moment's notice, San Luis Fire Department crewmembers are off to answer a call from a member of their community - and answer the call of duty.
"We train and plan ahead," explains San Luis Fire Chief Angel Ramirez. "We always think of the worst situation that can happen and we are always prepared for anything that gets thrown to us to deal with."
The San Luis Fire Department not only responds to calls within the city limits but also to calls in southern Yuma County and at the border.
Chief Ramirez says roughly 35% of their calls come from the Port of Entry, something he says remains fairly consistent - but calls at the levee area near the border have dropped drastically over the past several months.
During our 48 Hours on the Border series from March, Chief Ramirez told us that responding to calls at the border can put a strain on his department.
"We don't ever ask for insurance, if they're residents, or if they're illegal or not," Chief Ramirez explains. "They're asking for help and that's our primary job."
But when his department is forced to up-staff an ambulance or deal with wear and tear on vehicles, Chief Ramirez says the city is left to pick up the tab for that.
When we last spoke, Chief Ramirez expressed a need to get federal funding in order to assist with some of these border-related calls and the wide range of issues they can create. He says since we talked in March, Senators Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema's offices have helped his department apply for a federal grant, which would hopefully cover the cost of updating some equipment.
"It's hard. Hopefully, someone in Washington listens to us and listens to what these border fire departments need. We are the first line of defense of people coming in."
Next door at the police station, Lt. Emmanuel Botello tells ABC15 his department needs new recruits.
"We have enough [officers] to cover our squads, but that leaves very little room for mistakes...The moment an officer goes out for an injury or FMLA, that causes a strain or additional funds to be used for shift coverage and OT."
So when it comes to the possibility of taking on new roles during a second Trump term, it leaves the department with a number of questions, specifically about what would happen if the federal government asked San Luis Police to assist with proposed mass deportations, something President-elect Donald Trump campaigned on during the 2024 Election.
"It is very preliminary," explains Lt. Botello. "We still haven't had a sit-down with the federal government to discuss our duties or what our responsibilities will be or if we will partake in deportations. We understand this will concern mainly federal agencies. But would it put a strain on us? Absolutely."
Currently, San Luis officers are able to assist federal officials to help with border-related activities thanks to a program called Operation Stonegarden. Through federal funding that comes from the Department of Homeland Security, officers are able to work overtime on their days off and assist Border Patrol agents.
