by Daniel Stefanski | Jan 4, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
One Arizona Republican Senator continues to hold the Biden administration accountable over the recent closure of a port of entry at the border.
On Wednesday, State Senator T.J. Shope, reacted to news of the Lukeville Port of Entry reopening, calling the initial move to close the vital border crossing “irresponsible and reckless.”
In his statement, Shope said, “Not only did this create financial turmoil for border communities within Arizona who rely on the tourism traffic to and from Rocky Point to support their families, but the closure of the Lukeville Port of Entry also put unnecessary stress and strain on our citizens and commerce who depend on a safe and direct route to this popular destination.”
Over the past few months, the border crisis has deteriorated considerably, forcing the Biden administration to take rather unprecedented measures in a frenzied attempt to mitigate public perception of the massive influx of illegal immigrants into the country. One of those actions was the closure of the Lukeville Port of Entry, which is the main thoroughfare to the popular tourist destination of Rocky Point, forcing families or commerce operators to detour hours to the east or west. A local business owner recently told an Arizona outlet that, in the aftermath of the closure, Rocky Point “was like a little ghost town,” noting that “local business, restaurants, hotels, rentals, everything has declined.”
Shope continued to address the situation in southern Arizona in his lengthy statement, blasting the Biden administration for a severe lack of border security. He said, “While I’m glad Lukeville is reopening on Thursday, the official statement from the federal government includes an absurd claim that ‘CBP will continue to prioritize our border security mission as necessary in response to this evolving situation,’ which is a blatant lie. The American people aren’t dumb. Nothing has changed at the border to prompt the opening of Lukeville. Thousands of illegals, many of which are criminals and terrorists, continue to pour into our state on a daily basis, overwhelming our brave law enforcement personnel. This was purely a political move after Republican lawmakers put immense pressure on the Biden administration to open this critical artery for commerce and legal traffic.”
The lawmaker promised to persist in holding the president accountable to his responsibility to secure the border and to refrain from closing American ports of entry.
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 week, 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 13, 2023 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
The Tucson Border Sector continues to attract a record number of illegal immigrants.
Late last week, John Modlin, the Chief Patrol Agent of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector, reported that there were 18,900 apprehensions in his sector in just one week.
Ali Bradley, a Network Correspondent for NewsNation, highlighted that this eyepopping number was an increase over the previous week’s record of 17,500 for the sector.
Bradley also reported that most of these aliens have been “entering illegally through cuts in the wall in Lukeville.” Lukeville has become the epicenter of the border crisis in recent months, with thousands of individuals pouring through openings in the border fence, which have largely been procured by smugglers on the Mexican side.
Another journalist, Bill Melugin from Fox News, shared CBP’s revelations that “an average of 5,000 illegal immigrants are being released into the US every day, and that there were 670,000 known gotaways recorded in FY’23” in addition to “150+ countries encountered since 10/1.”
Arizona Legislators have long been outraged at the lack of action on the border, and the reactions to this fresh round of numbers were no different. House Majority Leader Leo Biasiucci wrote, “Enough is enough with this border shit show. It’s time Arizona grants arresting powers, & the authority to carry, to all 5000 Arizona National Guard @ the border. Take over border duties with local Sheriff’s. Arrest, load them up, and deport them immediately. 10th Amendment!!!”
Representative Joseph Chaplik stated, “Democrats don’t care. Where are they in AZ calling for this to stop? Doing something in a week from now doesn’t help. Damage is done.”
The skyrocketing apprehensions have created chaos and alarm bells throughout government at all jurisdictions, in large part, due to what law enforcement isn’t encountering. Thanks to CBP agents being pulled off the lines to help process overwhelming numbers of arrests, cartels and smugglers can run ‘gotaways’ and deadly drugs – including loads of fentanyl – through other, unmanned areas. In the past fiscal year, a record number of suspected terrorists were apprehended at the border (169), leading many to question how many other dangerous people are slipping through the cracks and into the interior of the homeland.
Officials also have seized a rising amount of drugs at the open border, which according to reports, may only be 5-10% of the total numbers being smuggled into the United States. The Tucson Sector is one of the nation’s most prolific drug smuggling corridors.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
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 Corinne Murdock | Dec 6, 2023 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
Democratic and Republican leadership at all levels are calling on the Biden administration to reopen the Lukeville Port of Entry.
The state of the border in Lukeville consists of long lines of people, trash, and human waste. At night, the long lines are dotted with fires for warmth.
Reporters on the ground have noted the predominance of adult males seeking work, not asylum, among the illegal immigrant lineups. Those interviewed claim to have paid thousands for international transportation to the southern border.
The illegal immigrants are effectively being handled on a “catch and release” policy: transported further into the country, with admissions far outpacing deportations and court dates years out.
Arizona House Democrats issued a statement from State Rep. Mariana Sandoval (D-LD23), whose district contains the port of entry. Sandoval expressed alarm at the economic impact of the sudden and undefined closure.
“The federal government has significant resources and capabilities, and it should divert those resources from other regions — and from other states if necessary — to handle this temporary influx before it causes permanent economic damage to our Tribal, border communities and state,” said Sandoval. “This decision was not well thought out and does not take into account how important legal cross-border traffic is to the lives and livelihoods of all Arizonans.”
Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers issued a press release on Tuesday on behalf of his town’s many residents and visitors who pass through the Lukeville port. Weiers called the closing “unforgivable.”
“At a time when so many of our small businesses, and entertainment hubs like Westgate normally benefit from tourists and the trade and commerce created by their visits, it is simply unforgivable that our government is neglecting border security, leaving merchants in a lurch,” said Weiers. “The Biden administration has allowed inflation to shoot through the roof, and now it is allowing illegal migration to do the same, causing great harm to many communities like mine and the hard-working people who call them home.”
Gov. Katie Hobbs, in a joint release with Sens. Mark Kelly (D) and Kyrsten Sinema (I), said that the Lukeville closure only posed further, unacceptable harms to the state’s economy and community safety.
“Arizona border communities are in crisis, and our men and women on the front lines do not have the resources they need,” said Hobbs.
Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ-07) also requested the reopening of the Lukeville Port of Entry in a letter to President Joe Biden and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Grijalva also requested other information pertaining to the status of his September letter regarding the influx of illegal immigrants, what the president plans to do to address the disparity between federal funding and the influx of illegal immigrants, and a progress update on the Southwest Border Coordination Center.
“This current situation is both unsustainable and a dereliction of federal responsibility,” said Grijalva.
Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ-06) said the Lukeville closure served as further evidence of the Biden administration’s lack of control of the border.
“It’s time to implement the laws on the books and deploy the National Guard to fully support our men and women along the border — not close ports of entry making matters worse,” said Ciscomani.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
