Coconino News

Merissa Hamilton, Chairwoman of Arizona's Strong Communities Action, criticized Democratic Senator Anna Hernandez for not addressing the border crisis when discussing Arizona's housing crisis. Hamilton argued that ignoring the influx of illegal immigrants into the country undermines any serious efforts to address the housing crisis.

"You aren't really serious about the housing crisis if you ignore 15 million new illegal immigrants in less than 4 years coming into the country," Hamilton stated.

Border crossings have been increasing, casting doubt on the Biden Administration's border control policies. In the current month alone, there have been 140,000 illegal migrant crossings, a 60% increase from July. If this trend continues, it is anticipated that there will be 210,000 migrant apprehensions by the end of the month, reaching the highest level since spring 2022, according to CBS News.

Arizona Representative Justin Heap highlighted the impact of illegal immigration on the housing crisis in Arizona. "30,000-50,000 illegal immigrants cross into Arizona every month," Heap stated. "Many of them remain in Arizona indefinitely, reducing the supply of available housing units and driving up the cost of rents and home ownership. How will 20,000 new units solve the housing crisis when 20 times that number of new economic migrants flow into our state illegally every year?"

The border situation has caused significant dissatisfaction among lawmakers, who consistently voice concerns about inadequate border control, human and drug smuggling, and the influence of cartels. In July, the Tucson, Arizona sector witnessed the highest surge in unauthorized border crossings, with Border Patrol reporting almost 40,000 apprehensions, according to CBS News.

The housing crisis in Arizona has worsened in recent years, with homelessness increasing by over 20%. More than 13,000 individuals in the state lack shelter due to a shortage of available beds in homeless shelters. The shortage of affordable housing in Arizona, exacerbated by the growing population, has contributed to the housing crisis, according to AZ Central.

Democratic Representative Analise Ortiz acknowledged the overwhelming situation in downtown Phoenix shelters. "The fact is, with an ongoing affordable housing crisis and more than 28,000 Arizonans falling in and out of homelessness this year, the downtown Phoenix shelters are overwhelmed," Ortiz said in a press release.