COCHISE COUNTY, AZ — The Cochise County Sheriff's Office says migrant street releases are underway throughout the county.
According to the department's Facebook page, deputies received word from U.S. Customs and Border Protection leadership that street releases would begin Wednesday, September 13.
Sheriff Dannels expressed frustration with the announcement.
VIDEO: Cochise County officials discuss the release of migrants in Arizona
“The migrants being released are from outside Cochise County but were bused to Cochise County, processed and then released. Cochise County is a rural county with limited resources leaving these migrants vulnerable. In short, this lack of humanitarian consideration poses risk for the migrants," Dannels said in a statement.
"It's incredibly frustrating," Governor Katie Hobbs said. "From day one, we've worked to support our border communities and provide the resources we need and we've continued to request more support and assistance from both the Biden Administration and Congress."
KGUN9 reached out to CBP; a spokesperson for the agency released the following statement:
The concerns expressed by CCSO come amid multiple migrant busts on Wednesday, Sept. 13.
Just outside of Benson, deputies apprehended two teenagers transporting 12 migrants inside their car. The driver of the vehicle was a U.S. citizen. The passenger was identified as a 19-year-old from Mexico.
In a separate encounter on Wednesday down in Tombstone, CCSO personnel arrested a 30-year-old Coloradoan who was attempting to smuggle 5 undocumented migrants, including a 12-year-old boy.
