Arizona has followed in the footsteps of Texas and California, states that have reinforced their military presence on the border with Mexico. Katie Hobbs, the entity's Democratic governor, signed an executive order on Friday to deploy the National Guard in several communities affected by the increase in irregular immigration in the coming months. Hobbs, the first Democrat to govern the state in 14 years, follows the example of her Republican predecessors, who had sent the military to assist in monitoring the area. The gesture, however, underscores the turn Democrats are taking on immigration and border security heading into the 2024 elections.
“Despite continued requests for assistance, the Biden Administration has refused to provide the resources needed by the Arizona border,” Hobbs said in his executive order, issued Friday afternoon. The governor has not specified the number of National Guard agents she will deploy. In previous governments, however, some 300 soldiers had been mobilized. The presence of this force in the region is common. The last group, sent by Hobbs' predecessor, Doug Ducey, withdrew in September. They had been there since April 2021.
Much has changed in the area since then. Since December 4, the Government of President Joe Biden closed the Lukeville port of entry, the main port of entry from Puerto Peñasco and Sonoyta, Sonora. The Customs and Border Protection Office (CBP) assured it's a statement that he needed the staff at that crossing to process newly arrived immigrants. The community is located in the Sonoran Desert and has recorded temperatures close to 50 degrees. Despite these hostile conditions, it has been a popular crossing for migrants from Asia and Africa. The area has this year recorded the highest number of crossings seen since 2008.
The Border Patrol sector that monitors the area claims that they have arrested citizens of Pakistan, China, Senegal and Mauritania, rare nationalities in the region. CBP figures also indicate that it is a frequent passage for migrants from Ecuador, Bangladesh and Egypt, who begin their journey to the United States along a route that has Nicaragua as a starting point. Authorities made 17,500 arrests in the Tucson sector (which includes the remote area of Lukesville) during the last week of November. The Border Patrol averaged about 2,500 arrests a day, a significant increase from the 1,700 that were made in the area in September, when it was already one of the busiest points on the 3,200-kilometer border.
The closure of the border crossing, ordered by Washington, was harshly criticized by the most prominent political profiles of the State, among them Senators Mark Kelly and the controversial Kyrsten Sinema, who declared herself independent and is running for office in November 2024. Kelly, Sinema and Hobbs issued a joint statement in which they stated that the closure further destabilized the border because it harms communities, affecting local commerce and tourism. The closure of the checkpoint, which has no date for reopening, has caused extensive coverage in the local press. It claims that the place, also known as Rocky Point, has become a ghost town.
The troops sent by Hobbs will assist in the Lukeville and San Miguel area to try to stop fentanyl trafficking, reduce human trafficking and provide support to the local police in those communities. The governor also stated that she will reinforce the presence of the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the state police. She also did not reveal the number of agents who will join these tasks. Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, the largest Democratic stronghold in the country, also increased the presence of National Guards at customs in the entity. The number of uniformed personnel increased from 40 to 60 at each intersection. He did it to increase the number of seizures of fentanyl, the opioid that has caused tens of thousands of deaths in the country.
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