Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs asked President Joe Biden Friday to help her state address the recent surge in illegal immigration at the southern border.
Hobbs said that the federal government has failed to secure the southern border and is asking the president to reassign National Guard members already in Arizona and provide additional reinforcements to help reopen the Lukeville Port of Entry, as well as to reimburse the $512,529,333 the state has spent on migrant transportation, drug interdiction and law enforcement, according to a letter.
Border Patrol recorded 17,500 apprehensions of illegal migrants in the Tucson sector last week, alone, according to Tucson Sector Chief John Modlin.
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The surge has overtaken much of federal authorities’ resources in the area, leading to the closure of the port of entry in Lukeville, a closure of a nearby highway checkpoint and a temporary shutdown of Border Patrol’s social media. 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 Tucson sector illegally over video calls, according to an internal agency memo recently obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“For far too long, Arizona has continued to bear the burden of federal inaction in managing our southern border,” Hobbs wrote. “The recent decision to close the Lukeville Port of Entry has led to an unmitigated humanitarian crisis in the area and has put Arizona’s safety and commerce at risk.”
“Our ports of entry are essential to our state and our country’s economy, and it is vital that they be properly staffed and resourced to continue to fuel economic growth in the state,” Hobbs wrote.
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Under Biden’s leadership, illegal immigration across the southern border has skyrocketed to record levels in recent years, surpassing 2 million Border Patrol encounters 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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