A group of Republican lawmakers sent Governor Katie Hobbs a letter Thursday, asking her to use all available resources to enforce the southern border and protect Arizona.
“Arizona’s law enforcement agencies are overwhelmed with this endless flood of illegal activity, and those threats have been magnified with President Biden’s reckless decision to abandon Title 42,” the lawmakers wrote. “We call upon you to take immediate action and activate all available state resources to keep our communities safe from these dangerous and unprecedented threats.”
🚨FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE🚨
Arizona House Members Call on Governor to Activate State Resources to Safeguard Communities from Border Crisis Threats@AZHouseGOP State Representatives Gail Griffin, @LupeDiaz4AZ, @TimDunn_AZ, @MichaelCarbone, and @michelepenaaz, sent a letter to Gov.… pic.twitter.com/4hxgCdqzuL
— Arizona House Republicans (@AZHouseGOP) May 12, 2023
The group of lawmakers includes State Representatives Gail Griffin (R-Hereford), Lupe Diaz (R-Benson), Tim Dunn (R-Yuma), Michael Carbone (R-Buckeye), and Michele Pena (R-Yuma), all of whom represent border counties.
Attached to the letter was a copy of a 2022 proclamation made by the legislature, denouncing the lack of care from the federal government in treating the southern border and the massive number of immigrants coming across. Additionally, the group mentioned a 2022 legal opinion from former Attorney General Mark Brnovich (R), which declared that the crisis at the southern border was an invasion and that the federal government had failed in its duty to protect Arizona.
“The House declared that ‘an uncontrolled border is a security and humanitarian crisis’ and that ‘the smuggling of illegal drugs, weapons, and human beings poses a direct threat to our communities and innocent Americans,'” the legislators wrote. “By all accounts, the crisis at Arizona’s southern border has only worsened since then.”
Furthermore, they stated that a previous state of emergency declared by former Governor Doug Ducey (R) is still in effect. He made the order in 2021 but specified that the date of application was “April 1st, 2021, and continuing.” Under the declaration, he authorized the mobilization of the national guard as necessary to defend the border. Moreover, the lawmakers stated over $240 million is left in the Arizona Border Security Fund. They urged Hobbs to use these resources immediately and to the fullest.
As reported by The Arizona Sun Times, the House has called for help beyond the state level. On Thursday, which marked the expiration of Title 42, the House Majority Caucus released a joint statement demanding that federal leaders do their job. Additionally, this statement spoke on the newly passed $17.8 billion Arizona state budget, which contains spending for the border. This funding includes $30 million to maintain the Border Strike Force, which the caucus said is being rebranded to Local Border Support, providing an additional $10 million for human trafficking prevention, and $3 million for fentanyl persecution efforts.
Furthermore, the House is not the only Arizona entity calling for support for the federal government, as Yuma Mayor Douglas Nicholls sent President Joe Biden (D) a letter Thursday. KTAR News reported that this letter asked Biden to declare a national state of emergency because of the border crisis.
“Yuma, like many communities located along the border, is subject to a grave lack of federal government commitment to provide effective policy under current immigration laws,” Nicholls wrote. “While I appreciate the full complexity of the situation, failure to prevent harm that falls on American citizens and the integrity of a proper immigration system comes at the expense of our border communities.”
At the federal level, it appears Republican lawmakers are attempting to provide some relief to border states. On Thursday, the House of Representatives passed the Secure the Border Act of 2023, which contains provisions like requiring the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to resume construction of the border wall, hire more border patrol agents, and prohibit DHS from granting asylum to immigrants who snuck in between ports of entry.
All of Arizona’s Republican Legislators voted for the act, but zero Democrats in the House showed support.
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Neil Jones is a reporter for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Neil on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Katie Hobbs” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0. Background Photo “Border Wall” by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
