Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs signed an executive order deploying the National Guard to her states overwhelmed southern border, which is seeing record numbers of migrant crossings.
Hobbs, a Democrat, issued the order Friday sighting the federal government’s decision to shut down the Lukeville, Arizona port of entry which she said has caused an ‘unmitigated humanitarian crisis’ in the area.
The governor has accused President Joe Biden of failing to secure the southern border, and is seeking half a billion dollars in federal reimbursement for the state’s spending on the crisis.
‘Yet again, the federal government is refusing to do its job to secure our border and keep our communities safe,’ Hobbs said.
‘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.’
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs signed an executive order deploying the National Guard to her states overwhelmed southern border
Hobbs said the recent closure of the Lukeville crossing (pictured) has caused a humanitarian crisis
Hobbs said, ‘Despite continued requests for assistance, the Biden administration has refused to deliver desperately needed resources to Arizona’s border.’
In the executive order, the governor said there are already approximately 2,500 National Guard members on the southern border, 243 of which are in the Tucson sector.
However, the federal government has denied prior request to move more members to Arizona and help reopen Lukeville.
It is not specified how many National Guard members the governor is requesting. AZ Family reported the members will be stationed at multiple border locations, including Lukeville and the San Miguel crossing.
The Tucson area, which Lukeville is part of, saw a record breaking 12,000 migrant crossings in one day last week.
Migrants at the border crossing in Lukeville, Arizona. A huge surge of mostly African migrants has overwhelmed the town
Migrants warm themselves by the fire in Lukeville, Arizona. The Tucson area, which Lukeville is part of, saw a record breaking 12,000 migrant crossings in one day last week
Which led to 17,500 encounters in a single week – the highest weekly total ever recorded.
US Customs and Border Protection data reported 253,315 southwest land border encounters in December so far.
Border patrol agents have been warned to be vigilant after Mexico’s military seized ten improvised explosive devices (IEDs) at the border with Arizona as the US continues to see a surge of migrants.
In an internal officer safety alert seen by Fox Business, border agents were told to ‘exercise extreme caution and report any possible armed subjects with possible explosive devices.’
It comes after Mexican officials found the IEDs on Wednesday after being alerted by US officials to a cartel turf war gunfight south of the border. The cartels are reportedly fighting for control of a gap in the border wall used for drug and human smuggling.
Border patrol agents have been warned after Mexican officials seized 10 IEDs at the Arizona-Mexico border. In September, border patrol agents found an abandoned backpack stuffed with a cannonball-sized IEDs and ammunition.
In May, US officials found an IED at the Arizona point of entry. The device was used made an M&M container wrapped with electrical tape
Prior to the IEDs finding, US authorities had arrested a man on the US side who was armed with a loaded AK-47 rifle, two loaded AK magazines, loose rounds and a handgun.
In September, border patrol agents found an abandoned backpack stuffed with a cannonball-sized IEDs and ammunition, as reported by News Nation. There were no migrants found at the scene.
In May, US officials found an IED at the Arizona point of entry. The device was used made an M&M container wrapped with electrical tape.
Human smugglers have been recently using a remote part of the Arizona desert to get migrants to the US.
A shift in smuggling routes has brought an influx of migrants here from countries as far away as Senegal, Bangladesh and China, prompting the Border Patrol to seek help from other federal agencies and drawing scrutiny to an issue critical in next year’s presidential elections.