by Jennie Taer
Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs announced Friday that troops would be deployed to the southern border after her requests for help from the White House fell on deaf ears.
The governor signed an executive order to allow the troops to assist state and local law enforcement interdict fentanyl and human trafficking attempts, Hobbs said in her statement. Hobbs asked President Joe Biden Dec. 8 to reassign National Guard members already in Arizona, provide additional reinforcements to help reopen the Lukeville Port of Entry and reimburse the $512,529,333 the state has spent on migrant transportation, drug interdiction and law enforcement.
Border Patrol apprehended roughly 18,900 illegal migrants the week of Dec. 8, the agency chief for the sector said.
“Yet again, the federal government is refusing to do its job to secure our border and keep our communities safe,” Hobbs said. “With this Executive Order, I am taking action where the federal government won’t.”
The latest surge in illegal immigration in Arizona’s Tucson sector has overtaken much of federal authorities’ resources, leading the federal government to close of the port of entry in Lukeville. Additionally, agents from the northern and coastal borders of the U.S. have been called in to help “virtually” process migrants that crossed into the sector over video calls, according to an internal agency memo recently obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“But we can’t stand alone, Arizona needs resources and manpower to reopen the Lukeville crossing, manage the flow of migrants, and maintain a secure, orderly and humane border. Despite continued requests for assistance, the Biden administration has refused to deliver desperately needed resources to Arizona’s border,” Hobbs added.
The Biden administration didn’t respond to Hobbs’ request for the reimbursement of border-related spending, she said.
Border Patrol encounters of illegal migrants at the southern border surpassed 2 million in both fiscal years 2022 and 2023, according to federal data.
The White House didn’t immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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Jennie Taer is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Katie Hobbs” by Governor Katie Hobbs.
