Sinema, McSally Urge Senate To Fund San Luis Port Improvements

By Murphy Woodhouse
Published: Tuesday, September 10, 2019 - 3:12pm

Migrant Trail San Luis Rio Colorado
Murphy Woodhouse/KJZZ
Cars wait to cross along the border fence in San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, in 2019.

Both of Arizona’s senators are urging their fellow lawmakers to fund improvements at a major San Luis Port of Entry.

In a recent letter, Democrat Kyrsten Sinema and Republican Martha McSally describe the port as obsolete and prone to long crossing times.

They praised the U.S. House of Representatives for passing a bill in June with nearly $250 million for improvements. They want their Senate colleagues to do the same.

“We’re sister cities, San Luis, Arizona as much as Yuma,” said Santos Gonzalez, mayor of San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico. “The impact would be regional.”

Roughly 2.6 million pedestrians crossed there last year, along with 5.9 million personal vehicle passengers, according to federal data.

Border cities like San Luis are heavily dependent on Mexican shoppers, according to the letter.

San Luis is also where thousands of seasonal agricultural workers cross to work in Yuma during the winter.

Fronteras Sonora