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.”
📍Lukeville Port of Entry
Here on the border to assess the situation on the ground first hand & to work with Border Patrol to get them the resources they need.
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.
3rd straight Monday in Lukeville. Welcome back everybody for the march of the migrants. pic.twitter.com/5sOiRYmQlm
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.”
Border security is a top priority of mine. 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.
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.’”
🚨FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE🚨 Arizona House Republicans Condemn President Biden’s Closure of Lukeville Port of Entry, Refusal to Defend State from Border Crisis
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.”
Eye opening experience down here on the border. Joe Biden and Mayorkas are derelict in their duty to our country. Absolutely shameful.
God bless the Cochise County Sheriff’s Department. They are doing everything they can to keep Arizona and the United States safe.
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.”
— Arizona House Republicans (@AZHouseGOP) May 12, 2023
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.”
Biden State of the Union speech fails 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. pic.twitter.com/9U29v3pchc
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.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Senate Republicans Reduce Spending, Provide Historic Tax Rebates to Families, Protect School Choice and Stop Democrats' Extremist Agenda with 2023-2024 Budget pic.twitter.com/1nJvW6hehc
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 federal government must act immediately to solve the unmitigated crisis caused by the Lukeville Port of Entry closure.
Today, I sent a letter to President Biden calling on him to reassign National Guard members to assist in its reopening, as well as reimburse the… pic.twitter.com/JYmiBLvi6k
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.
On Tuesday, Gov. Katie Hobbs announced a $2 million fund to pay for new teachers and the final report complete with a lengthy list of recommendations from her Educator Retention Task Force.
In order to counter teacher shortages and improve retention, the task force issued a series of recommendations likely to come at a significant cost to taxpayers.
The task force recommended a permanent educator advisory group to the governor; a $10,000 raise in the average salary for teachers; a reduction in healthcare premium costs; 12 weeks of paid leave for childbirth, adoption, or fostering; more governmental efforts on raising awareness of student loan forgiveness programs; working conditions improvements including decreased class sizes, decreased workloads, increased amounts of support staff such as counselors and social workers, more planning and preparation time, and improving school safety; more stakeholder meetings and state government-level leadership roles to educators; an Arizona State Board of Education study and data collection system on retention rates; greater expansion and funding for statewide induction and mentoring programs; expansion of the Arizona Teachers Academy; child care for educators; more policies and systems to support educator mental health; reimbursement for certifications such as student teaching and counseling; and eliminating the one-year mandatory waiting period for retired teachers to return to the classroom.
In Arizona, we’re committed to listening to & uplifting our educators.
That’s why, today I’m announcing the release of my nonpartisan Educator Retention Task Force’s recommendations & report, as well as a $2 million investment into the Arizona New Teacher Support Program.
Hobbs partnered with Arizona State University (ASU) Morrison Institute and the Hunt Institute to inform the task force, despite ASU having the highest rate of its graduates quitting the teaching profession over the course of five years in comparison to Grand Canyon University (GCU), Rio Salado College, and The New Teacher Project (TNTP) Academy.
Presenter: By far, the greatest number of teachers quitting w/n 5 years – are graduates of ASU teaching program. And what university grads stick with teaching? ➡️Grand Canyon University 2/3 pic.twitter.com/PwMOdilSVV
— TheLegalProcess (v2.0 | Post-Election Ed) (@ALegalProcess) December 6, 2023
ASU also had the highest rate of Arizona State Board of Education enforcement actions against its graduates when compared to other universities in the state. GCU had the highest retention rate of its graduates, and the lowest enforcement action rates from the Arizona State Board of Education.
The task force was divided into four working groups.
A first group focused on compensation and benefits. Its members were Jeremiah Gallegos, Littleton School District financial literacy instructor; Luisa Arreola, San Luis Middle School gifted program coordinator; Lynette Stant, Salt River Indian Reservation third grade teacher and 2020 Arizona Teacher of the Year; Marisol Garcia, Arizona Education Association president; Quincy Natay, Chinle Unified School District superintendent; and Ruth Ellen Elinski, Cottonwood-Oak Creek School District governing board member.
A second group focused on retention innovations and solutions. Its members were Justin Wing, Mesa Public Schools assistant superintendent of human resources; Lloyd Hopkins, Million Dollar Teacher Project CEO and founder; Melissa Sadorf, Stanfield Elementary School District superintendent; and Violeta Ramos, Osborn School District Spanish teacher and governing board member.
A third group focused on teacher preparation and certification. Its members were Curt Bertelsen, Pima Joint Technical Education District director of professional development; Jennifer Gresko, Rio Salado College faculty chair of educator preparation; Ramona Mellot, Northern Arizona University College of Education dean; Zel Fowler, Balsz School District gifted education teacher; and Janine Menard, Tolleson Elementary School District mental health professional.
The fourth group focused on working conditions. Its members were Jennifer Hulbert, Champion Schools – South Mountain second grade teacher; Jesus “Anthony” Lovio, Flowing Wells Unified School District special education teacher; Jonathan Parker, Sunnyslope High School principal; and Sarah Tolar, City of Mesa education and workforce administrator.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
An Arizona Republican lawmaker is speaking out after the state’s Democrat governor eliminated a contract with a private prison contractor.
Last week, Governor Katie Hobbs’ administration revealed that the state’s contract with Management & Training Corporation (MTC), a private prison contractor, would be terminating on December 31, 2023. According to the Governor’s Office, MTC “operates the Arizona State Prison – Marana, a minimum security prison with capacity for 500 male inmates.”
We are cutting wasteful spending and building a corrections system that is efficient, effective and keeps our communities safe.
That’s why we ended a private prison contract, saving taxpayers $15 million over the next two years.https://t.co/hoMwgMUCO6
Both Hobbs and Ryan Thornell, the Director of the Arizona Department of Corrections Rehabilitation and Reentry (ADCRR) expressed enthusiasm over the decision that was announced just days after the Thanksgiving holiday. Hobbs said, “I applaud Director Thornell for his good stewardship of taxpayer dollars. Because of the Director’s leadership, we are cutting down on government waste and saving Arizona taxpayers $15 million over two years while improving public safety. I look forward to ADCRR’s continued work to build a correctional system that is efficient and effective, and keeps Arizonans safe.”
Thornell added, “This is more than just good fiscal sense. It’s about using the totality of ADCRR’s state resources more effectively. The ADCRR is able to absorb the inmates from ASP–Marana, into other prisons here in Arizona. So not only are we demonstrating significant savings, we’re demonstrating, with actions, our ability to be more efficient with the resources already provided to us. The ADCRR is as committed to supporting and developing staff, ensuring inmates have access to quality programming that lends itself to rehabilitation and public safety, as much as we are committed to improved fiscal management.”
The action wasn’t received well by at least one Republican at the State Legislature. Arizona State Senator Justine Wadsack issued a statement to call out the governor for her decision, asserting that the looming closure of the prison “is crushing the Community of Marana during the holidays.”
Wadsack said, “For nearly 30 years, ASP—Marana has been a positive aspect of the community. Through its educational and rehabilitation programs, as well as community services, the facility has helped both inmates and Marana residents. Shame on our Governor for giving them only a few weeks’ notice around the holidays. Although employees will have opportunities to transfer to another facility, many do not have the resources or financial means to relocate or make the long commute. My heart goes out to all the families who are impacted by how poorly this move was implemented. I’d also like to know what the plan is moving forward for the state-owned building that housed this facility.”
The freshman legislator also included a quote from Marana Mayor Ed Honea, who said, “This came as a real shock and really hurts our community. Half of these workers will be completely out of a job. Nearly 90 families were notified just days after Thanksgiving that they won’t have a job at the end of December. What do you tell them? You can’t buy your kids Christmas presents because you have to worry about keeping the lights on? If I was shutting down or merging a department in town, I would give notice three to four months in advance. This is entirely unacceptable.”
The Governor’s Office, perhaps anticipating political attacks over the loss of jobs for Marana, stated that “ADCRR will prioritize employment opportunities for ASP-Marana staff, at other prisons, including Arizona State Prison Complex in Tucson, the closest to the town of Marana.” Hobbs’ press release indicated that there were over 50 employees at the MTC facility.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
