Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs Sends National Guard to Border

Gov. Katie Hobbs on Friday ordered members of the National Guard to southern Arizona to back up law enforcement agencies dealing with issues connected to a surge in migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

“With this Executive Order, I am taking action where the federal government won’t,” Hobbs said in a statement. “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. Despite continued requests for assistance, the Biden administration has refused to deliver desperately needed resources to Arizona’s border.”

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Hobbs’ administration has previously acknowledged that National Guard members cannot, without orders from the federal government, staff the shuttered Lukeville Port of Entry.

The Biden administration’s decision to close that port earlier this month, citing the need for Customs and Border Protection staffers elsewhere, has halted daily crossings and shuttered a key route to Puerto Peñasco in Mexico. Residents in the town also known as Rocky Point have described a “ghost town” atmosphere as a result that is harming the tourism economy.

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