Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey dispatches National Guard to border; state of emergency declared in 6 counties
Category: News & Politics
Via: vic-eldred • 3 years ago • 77 commentsBy: Maria Polletta and Daniel Gonzalez (MSN)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Gov. Doug Ducey will dispatch National Guard troops to the southern border in response to a recent increase in migrants being apprehended by the Border Patrol, his office announced Tuesday.
The Republican leader also declared a state of emergency in four border counties — Cochise, Pima, Santa Cruz and Yuma — as well as in Maricopa and Pinal.
"The U.S. Border Patrol is overwhelmed. Local law enforcement and mayors are calling out for help," Ducey said in a video outlining his rationale.
"Citizens in our border communities are concerned for their safety, and nonprofits, left to pick up the pieces of broken federal policies, are strained … and yet we still haven't received an adequate response from the (Joe) Biden administration."
The governor for weeks has held Biden solely responsible for the migrant surge, pointing to the Democrat's decision to reverse a series of aggressive immigration policies implemented by his predecessor.
During a visit to the U.S.-Mexico border last month, Ducey blasted Biden and his administration for being "totally divorced from the reality on the ground."
Upon his return, he slammed Vice President Kamala Harris as the "worst possible choice" to lead the administration's response and requested federal funding to dispatch National Guard troops.
That money apparently did not come through.
While Ducey has blamed the Biden administration solely for the recent increase in Border Patrol apprehensions, analysts say the increase is the result of a mix of factors, including a bottleneck of asylum seekers mostly from Central America. They have grown increasingly frustrated after being stuck in Mexico for more than a year waiting for hearings in U.S. immigration courts under policies implemented by former President Donald Trump.
Many of the asylum seekers are living in squalid camps and in dangerous conditions in Mexico.
The Biden administration has gradually rolled back the so-called Remain in Mexico policy implemented by the Trump administration, allowing some asylum seekers to enter through ports of entry, where they are processed and then later released in border communities, leading to some of the strains.
Border Patrol apprehensions also have historically increased in the spring as labor demands in the U.S. draw migrant workers without documents to enter illegally.
But under a provision known as Title 42 implemented by the Trump administration last year amid the coronavirus pandemic and kept in place by the Biden administration, most migrants arrested by the Border Patrol are quickly expelled.
Many of the migrants turn around and re-enter illegally, sometimes multiple times, adding to Border Patrol apprehensions, according to an analysis by the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank.
Without these repeat crossers, Border Patrol apprehensions "would look nearly identical to fiscal year 2019 before the pandemic," according to a blog post by David Bier, an immigration policy analyst at Cato.
Bier also has blamed Title 42 for an increase in unaccompanied minors apprehended by the Border Patrol. Under a court ruling, unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in the U.S. can no longer be quickly expelled under Title 42.
As a result, asylum-seeking families who arrive at the border are instead sending their children to cross the border alone, Bier said.
Mixed feelings on Guard involvement
Arizona will provide up to $25 million for the deployment, which could involve up to 250 Guard members, the Governor's Office said Tuesday.
Troops are expected to provide support for local law enforcement, installing and maintaining border cameras, monitoring and collecting camera data, and analyzing satellite imagery. They also may assist with medical operations in detention centers, according to Brig. Gen. Kerry Muehlenbeck, the state's adjutant general.
When the troops will go to the border under evaluation, so the deployment won't happen for a least a few days, said Ducey's spokesman, C.J. Karamargin.
In a statement, Yuma County Sheriff Leon Wilmot said the deployment would "help ensure Yuma and other border communities are further protected from dangerous and illegal activity."
"By deploying National Guard assets, the governor will allow me to deploy more first responders to mission-critical tasks, where we will work side by side with our federal partners to target, apprehend and prosecute transnational criminal organizations," he said.
Ducey's decision to deploy the National Guard to Arizona's border with Mexico also received support from Arizona's two U.S. senators, both Democrats.
"I welcome the governor's action to provide logistical support to Arizona communities, and look forward to hearing more details about how the National Guard will assist," U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema said in a written statement.
"I will continue working closely with Arizona leaders and organizations to support our border communities, secure the border, prevent the spread of COVID-19 and treat all migrants and unaccompanied children fairly and humanely."
U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly agreed with Ducey that "there is a crisis on the border."
He said he has pushed the Biden administration for additional resources, staffing, transportation and testing necessary to provide a "secure, orderly process that does not fall on Arizona communities."
"In visiting the Yuma Sector and speaking with Border Patrol and other local leaders, it's clear that their resources and staffing are strained," Kelly said in a written statement.
"There are important missions that the Arizona National Guard can perform at the border and the governor calling them up will provide assistance to both local law enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security."
Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, however, accused Ducey of "playing politics with the National Guard, and wasting Arizona tax dollars in the process."
"If Gov. Ducey was truly committed to helping, he would be supporting the efforts of local governments and (non-profit groups) to provide humanitarian care," including housing asylum seekers at local hotels, Romero said in a written statement.
"Unfortunately, the governor is more concerned with raising his national profile than actually working to resolve this issue."
Sending National Guard troops to the border "will do nothing to alleviate the current situation," Romero said.
She said she also fears that deploying troops to the border will "stoke unjustified fears about asylum seekers, who are in search of a better life for them and their families."
Other southern Arizona leaders also have bristled at the idea, dismissing it as political posturing meant to score points with the GOP and distract from Ducey's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, for instance, whose district includes portions of Arizona's border, has urged Ducey to instead prioritize funding for local governments and nonprofit groups that have been providing assistance to asylum seekers near the border.
Overwhelmed Border Patrol agents have released migrants in Yuma, Ajo and Gila Bend, often in small, rural communities that lack the infrastructure to house or transport them.
Ducey will visit Yuma County on Wednesday "to get more details from community leaders and law enforcement officials about what they're seeing on the ground," his office said. Senate President Karen Fann, R-Prescott, is also expected to attend.
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Meanwhile the president & vp have made themselves part of the Derek Chauvin case by injecting their vile rhetoric.
Trump and his supporters are off topic
I am off topic
Isn't your opening comment, off topic?
Nope, I didn't specify the Chauvin trial was off topic, did I?
Hey Vic .. this whole discussion is complex .. leadership is 'ignoring' the southern border in order to move 'an agenda' forward .. 'we' need infrastructure .. but I think as the administration pushes said agenda forward, perhaps the border is an infrastructure issue?
Personally I do not think the federal government should be weighing in on local issues .. yet George Floyd's murder was/is huge, I did not miss a minute of testimony - the President and vice president have an agenda to push forward regarding 'police reform' .. it is needed, something HAS to change. ..... in my opinion it is not as much 'training' as it is recruitment practices [as I wander off topic]
I am 55 Vic and the border has been an issue my whole life .. we are a nation of immigrants .. there are people that have waited up to 20 years to become a naturalized citizen, doing everything legally .. but those seeking to enter the country legally and become citizens are over shadowed by border crashers ... there is no such thing as 'comprehensive immigration reform' does not exist - no one knows what it looks like - those that do not live on the border have no concept..
Peace Vic
P.s.... alas sadly, Congress has become a joke!
Vic has stated that "vile rhetoric" is not off-topic as far as he is concerned.
Good evening Colour Me! Hope all has been well with you and yours in the Great Northwest.
In the words of the great comic Will Rogers, "When Congress makes a joke it's a law, and when they make a law it's a joke."
Rogers said that in the 1920's. Looks like not much has changed.
Hi Ed ... sorry I missed you .. Hello from the Norse lands .. how is life on the southern border .. you are staying safe and healthy?
Thank you .. I will remember this and pass it along .. nope not much as changed!
I live in Phoenix, Ducey has and has had political asperations for some time and he uses any situation he can to promote himself nationally.
Including the border anytime policies change with lack of planning and there is a problem.
Which is every time the policies change by either party because neither party plans the implementation of changes they make and it always ends up in a border crisis when ever there is a change due to lack of planning. Over and over.
Being from AZ and using the border has given Ducey a built in path to national recognition and he uses that to his advantage well. Over and over.
Well he may have just found the grand daddy of in your throat issues.
Not really, Ducey has ridden this horse for years.
Oh ya really,
Well probably not that long.
How long has he been governor?
Duceys been our governor since 2015. Both parties have tried to recall l him and after trump came into power Ducey for a while seemed to try to emulate him.
Including Ducey starting to flip flop when it seemed to be to his advantage.
This is not the first time Ducey has used the border to his advantage and I doubt it's the last.
The previous administration never had a border crisis.
In fact, the situation was pretty much under control
LOL
w.bing.com/search?q=trump+border+crisis+2018+&qs=n&sp=-1&pq=trump+border+crisis+2018+
.......................................
The previous administration never had a border crisis. ... LOL Just like:
w.landflip.com/land-for-sale/swamp-
Trump got it under control. Biden deliberately let it spiral out of control as a part of deliberate policy.
trump did not have it under control trump had it on pause. and trump hadn't planed his policies and he did have a crisis on the border for many months. If I'm not mistaken that mess is still being straightened out.
biden didn't plan his reopening either and we are now dealing with his crisis.
Neither party seems qualified to be able to PLAN a end to this problem. No planning.. No solution.
and on we go. again and again, both parties suck.
Putting illegals up into hotels only encourages more to come.
Especially when we don't know who they are or if they have covid.
Where the hell is Flip Flop Fauci???
First you lost Harris and now you've lost Fauci ... too much importance in you being Earnest?
(apol. to O.W.)
Can they be found?
With any luck we will lose the whole damn Biden Administration, including sleepy Joe himself.
Unfortunately they seem to show up anywhere they shouldn't be. Like trying to influence a jury; urging on protesters to be more aggressive and violent; turning criminals into martyrs; demeaning police officers; playing every Establishment president's favorite game "Poke the Russian Bear"; and spreading our military ever thinner.
Where you will never see them is at the damn border; where they should be! They caused this damn mess. No amount of "But Trruuummmmppppp!!!!!!!" will change it. The Democrats started ringing the illegal immigrant dinner bell during the Democratic primaries, and they haven't stopped since!
Sure. You can find Fauci doing the talk show circuit; and Harris doing anything but her job.
Sounds like the former occupant of the White House and his VP.
Fauci is def on every Sunday morning program. Fauci was the go to man in the beginning .. there was a learning curve, even for Fauci ... now, I do not know what more he can say .. take the shot, do not take the shot .? Taking the Johnson and Johnson vaccine issues public has potentially created a serious issue regarding hesitancy to get any shot [head shaking] COVID is not going anywhere for awhile it would seem.
... what is the VP's actual job?
Trump was far too incompetent to blame anything on. Blame Polk for your border problems, history never stops biting. [Deleted]
Try the lower 48, it's not that big.
So the issues shouldn't have been made public?
What's the lower 48?
All states except Alaska and Hawaii?
I disguise my leg, yet you still find it!
I'm sorry. I've been so petty lately. Maybe not just lately.
Never disguise your leg as a fire hydrant.
Hello razing ... I do not argue with that .. I had my second shot, tomorrow is my magic 'I am 'immune' day .. I pushed through the body aches as millions of Americans have .. yet our buddy Repo is rather sick after his second shot ... I cannot judge anyone for not taking the shot .. continuing to wear a mask and social distancing is potentially as effective as the shot ..
Awww, alas my friend a this point, we need to take care of ourselves ... in doing so we protect others - it is all we can do!
Peace!
I do my best not to be nasty .. discussions are a exchange of ideas, whether we agree with each other or not .. share an opinion, give me your thoughts.
I think the Johnson and Johnson shot could have been pulled, case studies done and researched without the publics knowledge - no harm no foul, just due diligence as not to cause a panic .. blood clots happen with no explanation necessary - if there is a link, it is a minute one ..that is all I am trying to say.. it is my opinion..
Peace Tessylo!
And to you as well . . .
I think therein lies the problem !
Do you truly decide to become a part of a community as a whole? I understand what you saying, and I do not disagree - yet .. wow, there are so many variables that contribute to said community .. it truly comes down to taking care of ourselves, [ourselves] being the collective community 'we' belong to .. positivity is not as infectious as negativity .. yet I send you nothing but positive thoughts! ... good things are ahead!
I will def send Repo your positive thoughts... : )
That is a false'ish narrative.. far too black and white, you know that is not how societies thrive and survive - there has to be conflict ... it is a MUST! there has been a Yin Yang since 'man' walked up right ... : )
Hello .. awww man .. I have allergies and am out playing in dry / dead grass / lawn stuff - Flonase is a higher power send : ) My Tulips are popping! Glad you have NO side affects to Johnson and Johnson ..
Hugs! : )
Okay .. fair enough .. yet our existence is not sustainable for any reason .. there is far too many of us! : )
Ooo my ... the infamous Us v Them - hmmm I do not know how to argue that without becoming nonsensical : ) except to say how many of Us are there? and Them?
It is earth day .. I did some planting last night, I have tomato plants started from seed in the spare room .. have a tree to plant today. Until 'we' as a 'collective society' begin to recognize that 'we' HAVE to quit filling in the wetlands for housing and parking lots .. clear cutting trees to build a mansion .. celebrities calling for climate awareness as they have 12 to 20 foot ceilinged homes to air condition.. ... etc etc ... 'we' are unsustainable as a whole
Peace ... I better quit before I begin to preach about trees : )
P.s... 'We' Us v Them' are in no position to take in individuals that crash the border.. the US is full! I hear Canada is nice this time of year! : ) Things are free there as long as one pays taxes : )
When did you stop?
Are you being serious or facetious?
I didn't .. never will .. trees are the key to combatting 'climate change' .. so are the wetlands : )
Not until July, it snowed yesterday. Stop eating my goat, I haven't curried its flavor yet ... okay, that's enough puns for the day.
What folks up in Canada are doing instead of paying taxes:
A bit of both .. the US has its own problems, poverty and violence .. etc - 'we' as a nation need to figure out how to save the American youth being lost in the education system .. the legal system, broken foster care system.. in a sense the US has its own war zones .. so much is happening, It is just my opinion .. but .. 'we' cannot save the world while our nation crumbles from within
I disagree with the 'we're full' part. The USA is big enough to help/home/house/feed them all. We cannot turn our backs on people fleeing dire circumstances.
Our nation will do just fine.
We are expecting snow today .. but the temp is sweet .. 47 out now...
Sorry I crashed the article topic Vic .. !
I do not disagree with you .. yet things need to change in order to make things sustainable .. perhaps the border and immigration should be considered as infrastructure?
Amazing! Thanks I needed that!
Haha!
That's Guru Mahatmagoat.
I wonder if anyone if anyone in the federal government is going to object to this. It seems to me it skirts the edge of the ruling in US v Arizona. Under that decision, state officials can cooperate with federal officials to enforce federal law, but they run afoul of the Supremacy Clause if they interfere with federal efforts - even if that interference is with the federal official’s right of discretion in enforcement.
Either way, I don’t blame Arizona for wanting to do something about a problem that seems to have overwhelmed federal officials. Deploy the Guard and bill the White House.
What's to stop the Border Patrol from ordering the Guard troops to sit in a building and wait for further instruction that would never come if they wanted to?
A couple of things, I guess.
First, the Guard answers to the governor of their state, not the Border Patrol.
But more generally, the federal government is prohibited from commandeering state or local officials. So they can’t generally order them to do - or not do - anything in particular. When state or local officials work with the feds, it is in the form of cooperation.
And the NG can't interfere with the feds no matter what the Governor says. When Trump pulled several state guard units to the border, the media tripped all over themselves saying the only thing the NG could do was detain people where they find them and call in BP to come pick them up AND offer support like setting up outdoor camps. Basically glorified guard duty.
It seems to me that the only solution to people wanting to come to America is to make it less attractive than where they come from. The massive Covid-19 numbers, excessive mass shootings and gun violence and highest incarceration rate in the world isn't working, so what can America do next to discourage all that illegal immigration?
Actually enforce our immigration laws for a change?
Hold politicians responsible that try to circumvent those laws (no more sanctuary cities); create lax standards of enforcement (Biden offering amnesty and trying to restart the Dreamer Act; trying to end deportations for his first 100 days in office; or ending all of Trump's border EO/EA's and border agreements with Mexico); or offer things like free health care, education, and other perks to illegal immigrants.
I have nothing against legal immigrants. They worked very hard to get here; and earn their citizenship by following our laws. Illegals should all be sent back where they came from. A zero tolerance policy. We should enact a law that allows people to apply for asylum or citizenship at a US Embassy in the country they are from. That would hopefully deter them from making the trip up; and entering our country illegally.
If it doesn't- we send every illegal immigrant directly to Canada. Canada has plenty of room; and a very limited population. I am sure they can handle 30 to 40 million illegals.
I agree with Canada's immigration policies, even though they might not even permit my wife of more than 12 years to become a citizen, or even a permanent resident, notwithstanding she is married to a Canadian, because she does not qualify under the point system. I believe that Canada also has an annual number limitation for immigrants and refugees. Why would you even suggest that Canada do something that you resist in your own country. Maybe with global warming continuing most of Canada will eventually become habitable, but I'd like to see you try to survive in Canada's north country. Almost all of Canada's population is snuggled close to its southern border with the USA for a damn good reason.
Secure the border.
Obviously the problem is simple: Biden's handlers want the door wide open.
Yes it is complex; and isn't made less so by pandering to illegal immigrants; and throwing money at the countries they come from.
We suck at nation building. No we beyond suck at it. We tend to leave places far worse off than when we got there. Nation building in Central and South America is what it would take to fix the problem. That is what Biden is calling for- forgetting our gut wretched history all over the world at it.
That is because we are playing on opposite teams, when we are supposed to be on the same damn side. Simple things we should all agree upon but can't. Like enforcing all of our borders; enforcing all of our immigration laws; enforcing our labor laws against those companies that hire illegal immigrants; and putting US citizens needs first at all times. Seems easy right? Once we get those things out of the way we can talk about how many workers we need to keep the country running. Enhancing the worker VISA status. Setting real sustainable limits and goals on immigration to this country, with a working verification system so we can be assure those applying to come in are who they say they are.
Seems simple; but one side sees nothing but potential voters that will be reliant on big government forever. The other side a cheap work force that they want to take advantage of; but are scared to death that work force will gain real power.