Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs on Friday invoked Title 10 of the U.S. Code and sent the state’s National Guard to the southwest border to halt the surge in illegal border crossings.
“Yet again, the federal government is refusing to do its job to secure our border and keep our communities safe,” she said in a written statement. “With this Executive Order, I am taking action where the federal government won’t.”
“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,” she wrote. “Despite continued requests for assistance, the Biden administration has refused to deliver desperately needed resources to Arizona’s border.”
The governor also lashed out against the White House for not responding to her ask for $512 million to reimburse the state government for border security costs that she spent last week.
Hobbs’ order is a surprising move that is inconsistent with the tenor of the Biden administration and the current tone of Democratic Party’s reaction to illegal immigration.
Her move comes in amid heated debate in the U.S. Senate in which Republicans have demanded border security reforms as a condition to support additional aid to Ukraine.
Those talks have not yet materialized into a compromise, but this week the White House reached out to Congress to agree to amplifying border security in hopes of getting an aid package to Ukraine.
Since President Biden was sworn to office January 2021, millions of migrants have illegally crossed the border, with U.S. Customs and Border Protection reporting nearly 2.5 million border encounters during the 2023 fiscal year.
ADN has repeatedly reported that many migrants are coming from Venezuela due to the collapsing economy under the Marxist regime of Nicolas Maduro.
Many have risked—and lost—their lives crossing the Darien Gap, a natural land-bridge that requires trekking through jungle for hundreds of miles.
The crossings have become so intense they have caused damage to the Amazon and natural land environment, prompting Panamanian officials to begin locking down border crossing points.
ADN reported in October that the U.S. started repatriated some Venezuelan migrants back to the South American country despite the fact it continues to be ruled by Maduro with an iron, communist grip.
Related Story: Border Patrol Catches Migrants Entering Arizona Through Floodgates Welded Open for Wildlife
