We get questions all of the time about what happens when a migrant is apprehended at the border. The honest answer is: It all depends on a number of factors and variables. It's just before 5:00 a.m. on a Wednesday. Under the cover of darkness, three migrants cross over from Mexico near a border wall outside of Yuma, but within moments, Border Patrol agents are there to take them into custody. Just a short drive away, about 20 migrants are camping out, waiting for Border Patrol agents to arrive and apprehend them. All of the migrants ABC15 spoke to in that area plan to request asylum, like Mari ..read more

City leaders in Yuma have come together in an effort to build a stronger future workforce. They have placed a focus on higher education, bringing together top industries and students to create better opportunities and a more robust economy. Yuma County has a population of around 200,000. However, a large portion of the workers you see in the area come from Mexico. Marisol Kelland owns an engineering and construction company in Yuma. Most of her employees cross the border every day to get to work. There's a couple problems that we have. One is the language gap; we have a lot of Spanish-speaking ..read more

There's a group in Yuma County that's providing a critical resource for the community when it comes to helping prevent street releases when we are seeing a surge in migrant crossings at the border. For the past three years, the Regional Center for Border Health in Somerton has helped hundreds of thousands of migrants by setting up a transition center to assist migrants on the next leg of their journey once they are released by Border Patrol agents and their asylum requests play out in immigration court. By the busload they arrive hundreds of migrants, all coming from different places, with dif ..read more

It may look like you're in the Sahara Desert as you drive on Interstate 8 just west of Yuma - but you're really much closer to home than what it may look like outside your window. The Imperial Sand Dunes, while technically in California, are just a short drive from Yuma and have long been a staple of living in Southwest Arizona. "I grew up here and lived here all my life," said Anthony Fernandez, a native of Yuma. "I like the sand dunes. They are beautiful." Hollywood has also taken notice of how marvelous the dunes are; they've filmed some of our favorite all-time movies there, dating back mo ..read more

Cristina Yanez was filled with hope as she drove to Mexicali, Mexico, on a hot summer day to make her dream of having a family a reality. Yanez and her husband, Alex, spent eight years trying to conceive a child, but they were always met with disappointment. After a series of tests were completed, they learned Alex had issues with his sperm. Cristina, a full-time registered nurse, looked into her medical plan and quickly realized that fertility treatments of any type would not be covered. And she learned that fertility treatment in the United States could cost anywhere from $20,000 to $40,000 ..read more

Several people are hurt after a shooting in Yuma late Saturday night. Yuma police say they got a report of an aggravated assault at a gathering just before 11 p.m. Saturday. When officers arrived, they found several people hurt. All told, seven people are being treated at hospitals in the area for possible gunshot wounds, according to police. The extent of the injuries are not known at this point. No one is in custody in connection with the shooting at this point. Police believe there is no remaining threat to the community. The investigation into the shooting is ongoing ..read more

One by one, busses bound for Phoenix are loaded. Migrants are catching flights at Sky Harbor to stay with family in other cities. They may be headed for different places, but they're all facing the same unfamiliar, uncertain future as they begin their quest for asylum just like Celso Diaz, who've come from Peru with two small children. "My daughter was saying to me, 'where are we going, Dad?'" said Diaz. "I told her we are going to a new place where can start all over again." That fresh start is what is motivating many of these migrants. Diaz says work is hard to come by in Peru, but there is ..read more

In the cover of darkness, they walk through the rugged desert. Step by step, they get closer to their goal, but once migrants arrive on the U.S. side of the border fence, they soon realize the journey is just beginning. Many have stories that are so horrible, you almost can't believe them until you see the pain in their eyes. Dilma and her daughter are coming from Colombia. In Spanish, she told ABC15 that seven of her brothers were killed by a group back in Colombia. One of them was murdered right in front of her, she said. She said that each time someone comes to her door, or every time she l ..read more

A 17-year-old has been arrested after allegedly stabbing two men early Saturday morning in Yuma. Police say they responded to the call just after 2:30 a.m. and found a 23-year-old man with a stab wound. Officers investigating the scene found out the 23-year-old was stabbed at a nearby residence, and that a 20-year-old man was also stabbed. Both of the men were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. An argument between the three allegedly led to the stabbing, but police encourage anyone with information about this case to call the Yuma Police Department at (928) 373-4700 or 78-Crime at (9 ..read more

Authorities say a prisoner who walked off during work duty in San Luis, Arizona, has been found and returned to custody.According to the Arizona Department of Corrections, Jonathan Perryman was working Monday morning with a crew and was later unaccounted for.Perryman is a minimum custody work crew member and was working at the recreation center in San Luis at the time. He was last seen by a supervisor walking into a restroom to wash paint off his hands.A number of law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Marshals Office, helped in the search for Perryman.Perryman was sentenced in November ..read more