If all else fails, run and hide. That seems to be the motto for Katie Hobbs anytime she’s confronted with a challenge. We saw it during her 2022 gubernatorial campaign when she refused to debate Kari Lake. We saw it when she ducked reporters asking for her reasoning behind refusing to debate Kari Lake. We saw it when she hid in a restaurant bathroom after another reporter asked her why she didn’t like discussing politics. And now that she’s governor, it should come as no surprise that Hobbs has chosen the same approach when it comes to the border crisis.
During the last three years, the Biden administration has completely abandoned its constitutional duty to protect each state from invasion, and Texas had enough. The state moved to defend itself from an unprecedented flow of illegal immigration due to the federal government’s negligence. And it has so far been supported by governors from 25 states who signed a joint statement standing with Texas.
Given Arizona’s dangerous situation at our own border, you would think Governor Hobbs would sign on or at least have something to say. But once again, she has chosen to run and hide. Meanwhile, our state’s Republican-led legislature joined in support when Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen and House Speaker Ben Toma signed onto a different letter with more than two dozen state attorneys general to urge the Biden administration to enforce our nation’s immigration laws or allow Texas to do so. And Republicans have also introduced legislation to provide local, county, and state law enforcement with support to defend our border. But Hobbs would rather ignore the problem and hope it goes away.
Keep in mind that Hobbs’ silence comes at a time when the situation at our state’s border continues to grow more volatile. In just the past few months, we’ve seen:
A report of suspected armed “gotaways” traveling with a migrant group about 70 miles from Phoenix.
A report revealing thousands of “special interest aliens” from mostly Middle Eastern countries apprehended while crossing the border illegally in the past two years.
A dramatic rise in the number of “gotaways,” who have escaped detection from law enforcement.
A major fentanyl bust at Arizona’s southern border.
A surge of illegal immigrants in the Tucson Border Sector.
The apprehension of 21 sex offenders at the southern border.
A flood of illegal immigrants at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport during the holidays.
A report of 10 IEDs discovered along the Arizona/U.S.-Mexico border.
A report of “stolen/altered” passports from Guinea being used in the Tucson sector.
An increase in cartel violence near the Lukeville Port of Entry.
An assault against a Border Patrol agent who was arresting several illegal immigrants near San Luis, Arizona.
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And then of course, there was Hobbs’ initial failure to deploy the National Guard to the border during the Lukeville crisis back in December. After the Biden administration’s irresponsible decision to close the vital port for legal travel, local border communities and businesses faced financial turmoil with the abrupt decline in economic activity.
These communities rely on tourism to and from places like Rocky Point, but the Biden administration didn’t care. And neither did Hobbs, who simply deferred to talking points calling on the federal government to step up and do its job. That’s fine. The federal government should step up and do its job. But Hobbs had a responsibility too. Instead, she chose to wash her hands of it until she faced bipartisan pressure that left her with no choice but to reverse course just a few days later and send the National Guard to the border. (But not without trying to blame both parties for the worsening state of the border crisis.)
The reality is that all of this reflects Hobbs’ record of open borders. She looked to cancel the state’s Border Strike Force while campaigning. She advocated to remove the shipping container barrier at our border. She vetoed bills like HB 2675, HB 2469, and SB 1408, which would have protected Arizona’s families from drugs and crime. And she pushed for $40 million in state funding to pay for illegal immigrants’ college tuition.
Now, Arizona is ground zero for the crisis at our southern border, and we cannot afford to hope it just magically disappears. It requires action. It’s time for Governor Hobbs to step up, put partisan politics aside, and ensure the security of Arizona’s southern border. Unfortunately, she’s probably hiding in a Rally’s restaurant bathroom.
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