| Governor Ducey, 25 Fellow Governors Request Border Meeting With Biden |
| “The negative impacts of an unenforced border policy on the American people can no longer be ignored.” |
| PHOENIX — Governor Doug Ducey and 25 fellow Republican governors are requesting an urgent meeting with President Joe Biden to find meaningful solutions to the worst border crisis in more than two decades. In a letter released today, the governors say they are “seeking an open and constructive dialogue regarding border enforcement on behalf of U.S. citizens in our states and all those hoping to become U.S. citizens. We must end the current crisis and return to border operations that respect the laws of our land and the lives of all people, including those in our states looking to the federal government to enforce and protect our nation’s borders.” In Arizona, the Yuma Sector Border Patrol has experienced a more than 900 percent increase in apprehensions compared to last year and the Tucson Sector Border Patrol has experienced a more than 200 percent increase in apprehensions. The attempted border crossings pose a serious threat to the health and safety of migrants and Americans, and it can put a tremendous amount of stress on law enforcement and border security officials. A few weeks ago, a mother and her 10-year-old daughter who crossed the border seeking asylum were found dead from heat exposure in the Yuma desert. Additionally, just last week, Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents apprehended a group of 140 migrants attempting to illegally cross the border. The letter follows the release of disturbing data by U.S. Customs and Border Protection that shows border authorities detained more than 200,000 migrants in August for a second consecutive month. The drastic influx of attempted border crossing overwhelms law enforcement officials and expands the risk of drugs, firearms, human trafficking and dangerous individuals illegally entering the United States. “Border apprehensions are up almost 500% compared to last year, totaling more than 1.3 million — more people than the populations of nine U.S. states,” the letter states. “Approximately 9,700 illegal apprehensions have prior criminal convictions. Cartels and traffickers are making $14 million a day moving people illegally across the border. More fentanyl has been seized this fiscal year than the last three years combined — almost 10,500 pounds of fentanyl when only 2 milligrams prove fatal. This is enough to kill seven times the U.S. population.” Governor Ducey and other governors have taken action at the state level to address the border crisis, but their abilities are constitutionally limited as implementation of our nation’s immigration laws lies in the hands of the President of the United States. The governors requested to meet President Biden within 15 days. Read the letter HERE. BACKGROUND In August, Governor Ducey called for the resignation of Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas following his explosive leaked comments on the border crisis. Governor Ducey said in response, “This administration has completely lost control of the border … A defeatist is not what we need when it comes to fighting for border security.” In July, Governor Ducey successfully lobbied the Biden-Harris administration to continue Title 42 border protections and called on Congress to protect Title 42 from future Biden-Harris interference. In June, Governor Ducey and Texas Governor Abbott requested all U.S. governors send available law enforcement resources to the border. In June, the Arizona Legislature passed and Governor Ducey signed the FY 2022 budget, including $25 million in state funding for the National Guard border mission and $30 million to assist law enforcement with border security operations, in addition to existing funding for the Border Strike Force. In May, Governor Ducey joined 19 fellow governors to call on President Biden and Vice President Harris to reverse their destructive border policies. In April, Governor Ducey declared a state of emergency and deployed the Arizona National Guard to the state’s southern border. The Governor also convened the State Emergency Council to immediately fund the mission with $2.5 million as well as $200,000 for county sheriffs. The Governor extended the mission in August. |
