Gov. Doug Ducey’s recent decision to use state-owned shipping containers to close five gaps along the U.S. / Mexico border in Yuma County has helped better identify other vulnerable areas, including a stretch of unsecured border on land belonging to the Cocopah Indian Tribe.
“It is a known vulnerability, I think it’s pretty obvious to everyone down there,” Tim Roemer, director of the Arizona Department of Homeland Security, said Thursday about dozens of people who cross into the U.S. via tribal lands each week, some without presenting themselves to federal authorities.
Roemer told KFYI’s James T. Harris that the temporary shipping container project was “a good step in the right direction because it’s going to highlight where the weaknesses are at other points.” One of the most exploited weak points is at the end of one segment of the state’s border barrier next to Cocopah tribal land.
Tribal officials have complained about the state’s construction of the barrier, which they contend encroaches several feet on the tribe’s property. Roemer did not openly criticize Cocopah tribal officials, but said knowing where vulnerabilities exist is “going to put more pressure on other people to do more about it, to stem that flow, to better protect their land as well.”
Roemer added that it is his hope the Tribe will work more with state officials.
As to complaints about the poor aesthetics of the shipping containers, border security “is not meant to be pretty; it’s meant to be effective,” Roemer told Harris.
It is also “extremely frustrating” to hear people who want to secure special events, such as political gatherings, “but they don’t want to secure the southwest border into the nation,” Roemer said.
Yuma County was not the only border area Roemer discussed with Harris during the interview. According to the Director, efforts are underway to make state funding available to help better secure Cochise County where some stretches of border have no effective barrier or wall.
The geography in most of those areas is mountainous, making it not a good match for the type of shipping-container temporary border barrier installed in Yuma County. Instead, Roemer says state funding will be made available to the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office for virtual technology instead of physical barriers.
Those funds are part of a $335 million appropriation signed into law by Ducey earlier this year. Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels can access some of that money for technologies such as drones, cameras, mobile units, and infrared night vision.
“We work really well with Sheriff Dannels and his team,” Roemer told Harris. “They utilize technology there about as well, probably better than anybody in the country. It’s really impressive.”
State Rep. Brian S. Fernandez (D-Yuma) has reportedly lost a key labor endorsement in the upcoming election after being accused by a fellow Democratic lawmaker of calling her a “Fat Fu**” to other elected officials and lobbyists.
Arizona Rep. Alma Hernandez tweeted Friday that SMART—the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers—Local 359 pulled its support for Fernandez as a result of his alleged comments about Hernandez, who represents parts of the greater Tucson area.
“Local 359, @smartunionworks values the respect of all people. We support candidates for office who work to bring people together. @BrianSFernandez lack of respect for a legislative colleague…We have pulled our endorsement of Brian & hope he learns a lesson.” THANK YOU!
Fernandez, who is also accused of telling people he “hates” Hernandez, is running against Republican nominee Gary Snyder in the upcoming Nov. 8 General Election to represent Legislative District 23 in southwest Arizona.
On Friday morning Hernandez released a letter calling on Fernandez to take part in sensitivity training and to apologize “to every single woman” in the Democratic Party. She also wants party leadership to “seek a punishment” against Fernandez, who was appointed to the Legislature last year to fill the seat his mother Charlene vacated after several years.
Hernandez has also demanded the entire Democratic Legislative Caucus “take a pledge to not engage in this type of behavior against women.” Minority Leader Rep. Reginald Bolding issued a response Friday which noted the leadership team “is aware” of Hernandez’s letter.
“The House of Representatives has a clear policy on Workplace Harassment that gives zero tolerance to this type of behavior,” Bolding noted. “Pursuant to this policy, these allegations will be taken seriously, properly investigated and have been referred to the Rules Office.”
Very few other Democratic state lawmakers weighed in on the controversy. One is Rep. Cesar Chavez (Phoenix), who lost in the August primary election to Anna Hernandez, sister of Alma.
We’ve consistently rebuked Donald Trump’s sexist and violent commentary toward women. It is no different when a Democrat says them. @BrianSFernandez, the comments you have expressed to others about @AlmaForArizona are completely uncalled for. A public apology needs to happen. https://t.co/dEzsmuLJ53
State transportation officials are celebrating that the Federal Highway Administration has approved Arizona’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment Plan, one of the first states in the country to receive approval.
The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) announced the news Thursday after its draft proposal was submitted in August. The approval of “AZ EV Plan” means $11.3 million of $75.6 million allocated for Arizona in the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will be made immediately available to ADOT.
Another $16.3 million will be released to Arizona in October, with the remainder available over the next five years to support AZ EV Plan.
With the approval in hand, ADOT can now solicit and award contracts to upgrade existing electric vehicle stations as well as develop new locations along designated alternative fuel corridors. The plan calls for charging stations to be no more than 50 miles apart wherever possible, according to ADOT.
Some goals of AZ EV Plan is to reduce “range anxiety” for drivers of electric vehicles by closing gaps in the charging network. The plan currently designates the five federal interstate highways which cross Arizona (I-8, I-10, I-15, I-17, and I-19) as alternative fuel corridors.
Those interstates account for more than 20 percent of all vehicle miles traveled in Arizona, ADOT says. The AZ EV Plan is also focused on ensuring the network is resilient, equitable, accessible, and reliable.
Advertising for bids to upgrade existing stations will begin in Spring 2023 with bid solicitations for new construction projects in Autumn 2023. In many cases, stations will be located close to existing infrastructure such as truck stops, roadside lodging, restaurants, and shopping centers.
Other non-interstate corridors will be determined and included in the plan in future years. The next update to the plan is set to occur in August 2023.
The shipping container “Border Barrier” approved by Gov. Doug Ducey earlier this summer along some previously unsecured sections of the border in Yuma County is fulfilling its promise, several officials reported Thursday.
The governor was in Yuma for an update on the effectiveness of the 130 double-stacked, state-owned containers he ordered put in place this summer to fill gaps in the U.S. border wall. His trip included an inspection of the project completed last month. The project was funded by border security legislation passed by state lawmakers earlier in the year.
The Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs oversaw the project which closed off more than seven-tenths of a mile of border in Yuma County. That area of the border experienced 259,895 migrant encounters from October 2021 to July 2022 — a nearly 250 percent increase over the prior fiscal year.
Migrant traffic in those areas is now funneled to a few crossing points manned by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) personnel.
President Joe Biden promised in July “to review” border security concerns and enhance barriers along the southwest border, but no timeline was provided. This lack of action, Ducey previously explained, was the impetus for his executive order to utilize the containers as a temporary border barrier.
“Five wide open gaps in the border wall near Yuma neighborhoods and businesses are now closed off,” Ducey said Thursday. “In just 11 days, Arizona did the job the federal government has failed to do — and we showed them just how quickly and efficiently the border can be made more secure – if you want to.”
The governor also took part in a roundtable discussion in Yuma with several local, county, state, and federal officials as well as business leaders and community members. Among those providing Ducey an “update on the ground” were USBP Yuma Sector Chief Chris Clem and CBP’s San Luis Port of Entry Director John Schwamm.
Ducey noted that multiple migrants illegally crossed the border “right in front of us” the last time he stood along the border in Yuma.
“Securing the nation’s southern border is a federal responsibility,” the governor noted. “A responsibility President Biden refuses to address. So Arizona filled the gap.”
Jonathan Lines of the Yuma County Board of Supervisors visited the Yuma “Border Barrier” with the governor on Thursday. He says the containers are working, as there have been less people attempting to cross in those areas.
“The containers have helped regain operational control of our nation’s southern border,” said Lines. “Governor Ducey’s strategy has allowed law enforcement to concentrate resources and protect our communities.”
Tim Roemer, Arizona Department of Homeland Security Director and the state’s Chief Information Security Officer, emphasized that crossing into the U.S. between official CBP ports of entry is illegal.
“The cartels have been taking advantage of the gaps in the border wall to surge migrants and overwhelm law enforcement,” Roemer noted.
Also Thursday, Ducey reacted to data released by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that 748 deaths have been reported of migrants crossing the U.S. / Mexico border since Oct. 1, 2021. That number of deaths already far exceeds the 557 deaths reported from Oct. 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2021.
“This is a humanitarian crisis,” Ducey said. “Migrants making the dangerous journey across the border are faced with immense heat, crime and unfortunately, sometimes death. Enough is enough. That’s why Arizona is closing the border wall gaps.”
U.S. officials have not directly acknowledged the huge increase of deaths over the current fiscal year, which many border observers attribute to a lack of immigration law enforcement by the Biden administration. However, a CBP spokesperson appeared to put all blame for the rise in deaths on the cartels.
“Transnational criminal organizations continue to recklessly endanger the lives of individuals they smuggle for their own financial gain with no regard for human life,” according to the CBP statement. “The terrain along the border is extreme, the summer heat is severe, and the miles of desert migrants must hike after crossing the border in many areas are unforgiving.”
Arizonans will mark the 21st anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in a variety of ways Sunday, including by having all state flags lowered to half-staff.
Gov. Doug Ducey issued the order in remembrance of the nearly 3,000 Americans who lost their lives after four hijacked planes were crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington DC, and a field in rural Pennsylvania.
“We will always remember September 11, 2001,” Ducey said in a video statement released Friday. “We will remember the lives lost. And we will continue to be inspired by brave and patriotic men and women who answered the call of duty.”
The governor added that time “has helped us heal, but we will never forget” and that reflecting on the events from 21 years ago is “a sobering reminder that our democracy and our way of life must be protected and fought for.”
Earlier this year, the governor signed legislation which requires that Arizona school kids learn about the events of September 11, 2001.
Several Sept. 11 remembrance events will be held Sunday morning across Arizona, including the 9/11 Tower Challenge in Flagstaff, Phoenix, and Tucson. The challenge involves participants climbing 2071 steps in the arena, signifying the 110 floors of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.
And on Sunday night there will be a memorial hosted by the Town of Gilbert’s police officers and fire rescue personnel from 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at the town’s Sept. 11 Memorial Plaza at 50 E. Civic Center Drive.
