BISBEE — The U.S. Border Patrol recently discontinued deporting illegal immigrants at the Naco port of entry.

“We are just making use of the Nogales processing center, not only in the Naco station, but for several areas within the sector,” said Dove Haber, a public information officer with the agency’s Tucson Sector, which includes Cochise County.

She said the changes will help for several reasons. The Naco station has a finite amount of space and agents, and using the Nogales center will let Border Patrol more efficiently process groups and allow for a better utilization of manpower.

Haber said the practice will continue at least until Oct. 1. The federal government’s fiscal year ends Sept. 30, and at this point officials can’t project what will happen after that.

“The Nogales processing center has a much larger staff and a much larger facility. So the entire situation is a lot safer, a lot cleaner and a lot more effective out there,” she said.

A spokesman for the Mexican Consulate in Douglas said the individuals who are considered vulnerable, such as juveniles, the injured, elderly and pregnant women, are sent to the Douglas port of entry so Mexican officials can take them to shelters, the hospital or other locations in Agua Prieta, Sonora.

The Migrant Resource Center in Naco, Sonora, has helped thousands of Mexicans deported by the U.S. Border Patrol since it opened Jan. 5.

The center is a binational effort of Citizens for Border Solutions in Bisbee and Iglesia del Camino in Naco, Sonora, with help from others. It offers people food, drinks, clothing and advice. It also assists people to receive medical care, find a place to sleep and get a bus ride back home.

“We were having 100 people a day. It had moved to a tremendous number,” said Cecile Lumer, a member of Citizens for Border Solutions.

Since last week, the Migrant Resource Center has experienced a dramatic decrease in the number of people coming for help. But, Lumer said, the center will not close even though Border Patrol is no longer deporting individuals through Naco.

“We are going to keep it open one way or another,” she said, adding that not as many volunteers will work at the center now.

The spokesman for the Mexican Consulate in Douglas said the Migrant Resource Center will still continue to serve some individuals.