Democrat Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ.) ordered her state's National Guard to the southern Arizona border as President Joe Biden refuses to take action against the millions of illegal migrants crossing into the United States.
This week, Hobbs lashed out against the Biden Administration as her state and the rest of the country face an ongoing illegal immigration crisis. She said the president has "refused" to aid Arizona after the state's "continued requests for assistance" to secure the border.
"With this Executive Order, I am taking action where the federal government won't," Hobbs said in a statement. "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 said Biden's denial of his border crisis has caused an "unmitigated humanitarian crisis," putting "Arizona's safety and commerce at risk."
Previously, Hobbs acknowledged that National Guard members could not staff the shuttered Lukeville Port of Entry without orders from the federal government.
Earlier this month, the Biden Administration closed that port, citing the need for Customs and Border Protection staffers elsewhere. It has halted daily crossings and shuttered a pivotal route to Puerto Peñasco in Mexico.
The National Guard will be sent to locations near the Lukeville and San Miguel crossings to help the Arizona Department of Public Safety and local police agencies with enforcement. According to Hobbs' office, this will include fentanyl interdiction, analytical support, and enforcement targeting human trafficking.
Last week, Hobbs announced Operation SECURE, a funding plan that includes millions of dollars earmarked to cover the cost of sending Guard troops to communities near the border.
Arizona's Tucson sector doubled in October compared to last year, with Customs Border Patrol agents encountering 55,224 migrants in October 2023 compared to 22,938 encounters in October 2022.