By Daniel Stefanski |
As the border crisis continues to worsen after the end of Title 42, Arizona House Republicans are crying out for action and assistance.
Last week, Arizona House Republicans used the Title 42 news from the border to highlight the need for more federal and state efforts to enforce the nation’s laws and defend innocent American families and communities. The House Republican Majority issued a statement demanding that “federal leaders end the border crisis and protect states.” Then five Representatives sent a letter to Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs, “urging her to take immediate action and activate all available state resources to keep communities safe from the dangerous and unprecedented threats presented by an unsecure southern border.”
In the statement to the federal government, the House Majority leaders shared what Arizona had enacted to secure the border over the past three fiscal years:
“In 2021, House Republicans passed a Border Security Fund, which was used to help prevent human trafficking and illegal entry into the country, to solidify infrastructure, aid local prosecution efforts, and other necessary activities to protect Arizona citizens.
Last year we put over $500 million into the fund and allocated over $209 million for a variety of state and local border enforcement activities. About $240 million remains in the fund, which the state can use to counteract the federal government’s negligence on the border and the harm it has in our communities.
In the new state budget passed this week, we included:
– Maintaining a $30 million program that provides additional support to local law enforcement facing border-related crimes. (Border Drug and Interdiction Fund; Local Border Support – formerly known as the Border Strike Force)
– Adding $10 million to human trafficking prevention efforts.
– Adding $3 million for additional fentanyl prosecution efforts.”
In the letter to Governor Hobbs, the state representatives (Gail Griffin, Tim Dunn, Lupe Diaz, Michael Carbone, and Michele Peña) referenced former Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s legal opinion on “the federal government’s failure to uphold its duty to defend the States from invasion;” and a May 2022 Arizona House Legislative Proclamation, declaring that “an uncontrolled border is a security and humanitarian crisis,” and that “the smuggling of illegal drugs, weapons, and human beings poses a direct threat to our communities and innocent Americans.”
The five lawmakers wrote that “the State of Emergency in Arizona’s border counties that former Governor Ducey declared on April 20, 2021, is still in effect and continues as long as these conditions exist. And over $240 million remains in the Border Security Fund, which the Legislature established to prevent illegal entry into the country, solidify infrastructure, and combat other harms at the border.” They requested the governor “take immediate action and activate all available state resources to keep our communities safe from these dangerous and unprecedented threats.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
