by Corinne Murdock | Dec 12, 2023 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
Gov. Katie Hobbs says that both parties are to blame for the worsening state of the border crisis.
During a weekend visit to the border in Lukeville, Hobbs called for an increase in bipartisan action to solve the torrent of illegal immigration that prompted the recent, sudden closure of the Lukeville Port of Entry.
“I’m not afraid to stand up to politicians on either side who aren’t doing what’s in the best interests in Arizona,” said Hobbs. “Now is not the time for partisan politics, it’s time for action.”
Hobbs repeated her earlier commitment to obtain reimbursement from the Biden administration for current and future state expenditures to handle the border crisis: over $512.5 million so far.
“Arizona has borne the brunt of federal inaction on our southern border for far too long,” said Hobbs.
Last Friday, Hobbs reversed course on sending the National Guard to the border, spending up to $5 million to do so.
The governor also announced the establishment of a new office within the Arizona Department of Homeland Security — Operation Safety, Enforcement, Coordination, & Uniform Response (SECURE) — using $2 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act.
As part of the increased action on the border, Hobbs sent a letter to President Joe Biden and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to reassign over 200 Tucson Sector National Guard members to the Lukeville Port of Entry.
“Border security is a top priority of mine,” said Hobbs. “As long as I’m Governor, I will do everything I can to keep Arizonans safe — even when the federal government fails to act.”
Hobbs’ weekend visit and letter to the Biden administration marked the first major move for the governor to stymie the worsening border crisis.
The first month of the 2024 fiscal year, October, marked another record high in southern border encounters: nearly 241,000, an almost 10,000-person increase from October 2022 (the first month of the 2023 fiscal year) and a 76,000-person increase from October 2021 (the first month of the 2022 fiscal year).
Under Biden, there have been over 6.6 million encounters with illegal immigrants along the southern border. That’s more than the terms of former Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump combined — over a decade of encounters.
Under Trump, there were over 2.3 million encounters. Under both of Obama’s terms, there were over 3.3 million encounters.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Daniel Stefanski | Dec 12, 2023 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona House Republicans are voicing extreme displeasure with President Biden’s border policies.
On Friday, Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma and 30 of his colleagues in the chamber sent a letter to President Joe Biden, demanding that the Democrat Commander in Chief “reverse your policy and put a halt to the wide-open door for so-called ‘asylum-seekers.’”
The reason for the letter stemmed from the decision from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to close the Lukeville Port of Entry earlier this week. The Lukeville section of the border, inside the Tucson Sector, has recently become the epicenter of the historic crisis, seeing thousands of illegal aliens pour into the United States through gaps in the fence. In their letter, the Arizona lawmakers wrote that “the closure has caused an immediate collapse of economic activity and legal movement through that critical port of entry,” adding that “Arizonans along the way to Lukeville will needlessly suffer as businesses shutter in communities such as Gila Bend, Ajo, and Why.”
Speaker Toma said, “Securing the border is supposed to be the federal government’s job. But the willful inaction by President Biden is causing irreparable harm. Arizona’s Democratic leaders, Governor Hobbs and Attorney General Mayes, also ignore calls to defend the state and hold the federal government accountable. When Republicans in the Legislature specifically funded a mission of the National Guard to provide support to law enforcement on the border, Governor Hobbs cut that mission short to instead aid the transportation and housing of illegal aliens. Arizonans can count on House Republicans to pursue meaningful policy and budgetary solutions in the upcoming legislative session to protect Arizona’s border, border communities, and the people we are elected to represent.”
The letter from the Arizona legislators included several reasons why the state of Arizona – and other neighboring states – have been negatively affected by the border crisis. It noted that “border states in particular are significantly harmed by your administration’s failed policies every day. Our law enforcement agencies at the border are overextended. Health care providers in border communities are overworked to such an extent that they are struggling to provide essential services to the residents of their community in need of care.”
As they closed the letter, the Arizona State Representatives warned that they would “hold (President Biden) accountable for your refusal to protect this nation and its people.”
Over the course of this year, Arizona Legislative Republicans have repeatedly directed their ire to national and local Democrats over the unprecedented situation at the border. Earlier this fall, soon after the horrific terrorist attack in Israel on October 7, Senate President Warren Petersen issued a statement, saying, “Our own country must remain vigilant, as our wide open border, ignored by Joe Biden and Democrats, remains one of the greatest threats to our national security.”
In May, freshman Representative Austin Smith visited the border to gain first-hand knowledge. After his trip, he posted, “Eye opening experience down here on the border. Joe Biden and Mayorkas are derelict in their duty to our country. Absolutely shameful.”
A smaller coalition of state representatives, led by Gail Griffin, also sent a letter to Governor Hobbs in May, calling on Arizona’s chief executive “to take immediate action and activate all state resources to keep our communities safe from these dangerous and unprecedented threats.” The group of five legislators pointed to a February 22 legal opening from then-Attorney General Mark Brnovich, which documented “the federal government’s failure to uphold its duty to defend the States from invasion – particularly at Arizona’s border with Mexico – by drug cartels and gangs’ violence, lawlessness, and trafficking of deadly illicit drugs, such as fentanyl.”
Back in February, Representative Tim Dunn reacted to the president’s State of the Union address, stating that it failed “to address the emergency effecting the southern border. This can end by changing his policy. This allows fentanyl to come to your neighborhood. Secure the border protect our airways from China and open up oil exploration to curb inflation.”
Though the border crisis appears to be worsening by the day, legislative Republicans have effectively made the point that the reality for Arizonans could be more daunting if not for their check on the Democrats in the state – especially Governor Katie Hobbs. When Hobbs signed the state budget compromise in May, Senate President Petersen highlighted that his members “prevented the Governor and Democrat Legislators from advancing their extremist agenda…we’re not getting rid of state funded border security resources to keep our communities safe.” In the upcoming session, starting next month, expect Republicans to continue to introduce bills and policies that would give the Grand Canyon State more ability and resources to combat the many scourges of the border crisis.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Dec 11, 2023 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Last week, Commissioner Kevin Thompson announced that he and Chairman Jim O’Connor had “successfully offered amendments in the APS Transportation Electrification Implementation Plan and Budget (TEIP) agenda item.” The actions from the two commissioners took place in the panel’s meeting on December 5.
According to Thompson’s press release, he “authored an amendment that rejected the utility’s request to use up to $5M in ratepayer funds to develop and install EV charging infrastructure as part of the utility’s proposed ‘Take Charge AZ’ program.” O’Connor’s amendment ensured “that any EV rebates offered by the utility must be provided at shareholder expense, and not at the expense of ratepayers or ratepayer subsidization.”
“We can’t continue to financially burden the majority of ratepayers who don’t own an EV or who utilize charging stations,” said Commissioner Thompson. “Infrastructure for EV charging is an opportunity for the market and private enterprise to innovate and thrive, not utilities at the expense of their ratepayers.”
O’Connor added, “Our decision on Trico’s EV program in September of this year set the model we would like to see for all future EV charging; namely, no cost shift to ratepayers.”
The communication from Thompson’s Office shared that Commissioner Nick Myers also “provided an amendment that discontinued the Take Charge AZ program moving forward, allowing APS to complete the installation of charging stations currently underway.”
In his first year on the job, Thompson has taken several actions to improve efficiencies at the commission and to stand up for ratepayers. This summer, Thompson fulfilled a priority of his when he helped to secure increased funding for Corporation Commission staff without adding any more dollars to the state’s general fund. He said, “One of the significant consequences of being understaffed and under-resourced is that Arizona has consistently ranked in the bottom tier nationally in processing utility rate cases—it takes fifty percent longer to process a rate case in Arizona – resulting in delays to build new generation and replace critical infrastructure, driving up ratepayer costs and further destabilizing our regulatory and investment climate.”
Thompson also announced that he had “amended several provisions in a recent proposal for UniSource Energy’s (“UNS”) Demand Side Management (“DSM”) Energy Efficiency (“EE”) program.” The release explained that these amendments “eliminated or revised several proposals” and “reigned in ratepayer-funded incentives to contractors and sales consultants and focused on prioritizing programs that provided greater value to residential customers and target low-income customers.”
The Republican Commissioner also led a letter to Governor Katie Hobbs in October, asking the state’s chief executive to address the overwhelming price increases for electricity customers of the San Carlos Irrigation Project. The letter was co-signed by three of his colleagues – Lea Marquez Peterson, Myers, and O’Connor.
Commissioner Anna Tovar, the lone Democrat on the panel, did not add her name to the letter. Thompson told AZ Free News that he and his fellow Republicans “are willing to do whatever we can in our individual capacities to encourage our delegation and state government to put aside partisanship and get the federal government out of the business that private enterprise should be providing.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Corinne Murdock | Dec 10, 2023 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
Two bills improving nuclear energy production and limiting energy efficiency regulations on home appliances from Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ-08) are set to be voted on by the whole House.
Both bills passed out of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on Tuesday. In a press release, Lesko said that the bills represented commonsense protections of two critical aspects of everyday American living.
“I am thrilled that these two commonsense bills have passed out of committee,” said Lesko. “I am working every day to leave our state and nation in a better place than when we found it, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure that these proposals are approved by the full House of Representatives.”
One of the bills, the Advancing Nuclear Regulatory Oversight Act, would require the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to give reports to Congress on all procedural changes implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report would also have to outline proposed efficiency improvements for the future.
The bill passed out of committee through another bill, H.R. 6544.
The report would also include an examination of the costs associated with the commission’s headquarters, regional offices, and technical training center. Specifically, the report would include costs not supportive of the commission’s mission, such as rent subsidies for other federal agencies, and proposals for cost reductions such as shedding or consolidating office spaces.
The other bill, the Hands Off Our Home Appliances Act, would limit the Department of Energy (DOE) from issuing new or amended energy efficiency standards that wouldn’t be technologically feasible or economically justified.
The act would allow for the amendment or revocation of energy efficiency standards that result in additional costs to consumers, don’t result in a significant conservation of energy or water, aren’t technologically feasible, and result in the affected product to not be commercially available to all consumers.
It would also require the DOE to conduct a quantitative economic impact analysis prior to prescribing any new or amended energy conservation standards. Included within this analysis would be the costs to low-income households, the variation in costs to consumers based on regional differences, effects of the standards on employment, and the lifecycle costs for the affected appliances: purchase, installation, maintenance, disposal, and replacement.
The act would restrict the DOE from declaring economic justification of any energy conservation standard unless the standard wouldn’t result in additional net costs to the consumer (purchase, installation, maintenance, disposal, and replacement of the affected products), and would result in a monetary value of energy savings.
In order to qualify as significant energy or water savings, the conservation standard would have to result in a reduction of at least .3 quads of site energy over three years or at least a 10 percent reduction in energy or water use of the affected product.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Corinne Murdock | Dec 10, 2023 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
The Maricopa County Republican Committee (MCRC) called on the Arizona House to bring impeachment charges against Attorney General Kris Mayes.
In a resolution approved on Tuesday, MCRC accused Mayes of abuse of office and violation of constitutional oaths by prosecuting Cochise County Supervisors Peggy Judd and Tom Crosby. The committee’s resolution likened Mayes’ actions to those that occur under dictatorships or communist rule.
“Kris Mayes is using her prosecutorial powers as the Arizona Attorney General to interfere with the County Board of Supervisors’ responsibility and authority to ensure the Peoples’ right to a secure election that is accurate and free from abuse or manipulation,” stated the resolution. “Kris Mayes’ prosecution of Cochise County Supervisors Peggy Judd and Tom Crosby is an act of political prosecution common in dictatorships or communist countries.”
State Sen. Wendy Rogers (R-LD07) applauded the move and echoed the call to action.
Last week, Mayes announced felony charges of interference with an election officer and conspiracy against Judd and Crosby. Together, the charges carry a punishment of up to five years’ imprisonment and fines of up to $300,000.
“The repeated attempts to undermine our democracy are unacceptable,” said Mayes. “I took an oath to uphold the rule of law, and my office will continue to enforce Arizona’s elections laws and support our election officials as they carry out the duties and responsibilities of their offices.”
Gov. Katie Hobbs announced her approval of the charges, echoing Mayes’ sentiment that Judd and Crosby had undermined democracy.
“To give Arizonans the free & fair elections they deserve, we must hold those who seek to undermine our democracy accountable,” said Hobbs.
In Tuesday’s resolution, MCRC defended Judd and Crosby as having the lawful authority to take the time they needed beyond the certification deadline to canvass the 2022 election. MCRC cited the widespread voting tabulation equipment malfunctions in Maricopa and Pinal counties, as well as the imbalance in the Pinal County canvass report, as justification for Judd and Crosby’s delayed certification.
MCRC accused Mayes of prosecuting Judd and Crosby as a means of intimidating other local elected officials from doing their due diligence to ensure the security and fairness of elections.
The MCRC executive board consists of Craig Berland, Shelby Busch, Tatiana Pena, Lawrence Hudson, Dan Grimm, Jeff Greenspan, Joanie Colson, Joe Neglia, former lawmaker Liz Harris, and Brian Ference.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Corinne Murdock | Dec 9, 2023 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
Gov. Katie Hobbs has reversed course on her decision to send the National Guard to the border.
On Friday, Hobbs announced the plans to deploy the National Guard through Operation Safety, Enforcement, Coordination, & Uniform Response (SECURE): a new mobilization effort of additional state resources to mitigate the burgeoning border crisis. Operation SECURE will house a new Department of Homeland Security division, the Border Security Office, using $2 million from the state’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) federal funding.
Should the Biden administration continue the closure of the Lukeville Port of Entry, the governor directed the state to spend up to $5 million to mobilize the National Guard. In the corresponding press release, Hobbs criticized the Biden administration’s closure of the port of entry as the direct cause of “an unmitigated crisis” that endangered the state’s communities and commerce.
Hobbs warned that the Biden administration has placed Arizona at a “breaking point.”
“Our ports of entry are vital for security and trade, and insufficient resources hinder our ability to properly manage the influx of migrants who have continued to come to Lukeville,” said Hobbs. “We need the federal government to step up, do its job, and bring security and order to our border.”
Hobbs also submitted a letter to President Joe Biden on Friday requesting the reassignment of just over 200 Tucson Sector National Guard members to the Lukeville Port of Entry as well as the assignment of National Guard members elsewhere in the nation to reopen the port of entry.
“For far too long, Arizona has continued to bear the burden of federal inaction in managing our southern border,” said Hobbs.
Hobbs also requested the reimbursement of the over $512.5 million the state has spent under Biden on migrant transportation, drug interdiction, and law enforcement. In her press release announcing Operation SECURE, Hobbs promised to seek reimbursements of border crisis mitigation on a regular basis.
“The federal government must act immediately to solve the unmitigated crisis caused by the Lukeville Port of Entry closure,” said Hobbs.
The governor also disclosed to reporters earlier this week that she would visit the area on Saturday to assess the situation. Hobbs is scheduled to travel with Arizona National Guard Adjutant General Kerry Muehlenbeck.
Hobbs’ decision to deploy the National Guard marks a turnaround from her perspective on Monday, when she felt that the troops weren’t warranted since the border communities hadn’t asked for them.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced the closure of the Lukeville Port of Entry last Friday. CBP attributed the closure to the need for more personnel due to the ever-worsening state of the border crisis.
“In response to increased levels of migrant encounters at the Southwest Border, fueled by smugglers peddling disinformation to prey on vulnerable individuals, CBP is surging all available resources to expeditiously and safely process migrants,” said CBP.
Scenes from the border reveal that around 1,000 illegal immigrants on any given day — mostly single, military-age men — await alongside the border for processing and transportation after illegally crossing into the U.S.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly referred to CBP as Customs and Border Patrol. The story has been corrected and now refers to CBP as Customs and Border Protection.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
