Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs sends National Guard to border, says Biden 'refused to deliver' aid

Gov. Katie Hobbs on Friday ordered members of the National Guard to southern Arizona to back up law enforcement agencies dealing with issues connected to a surge in migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

“With this Executive Order, I am taking action where the federal government won’t," Hobbs said in a statement. "But we can’t stand alone, Arizona needs resources and manpower to reopen the Lukeville crossing, manage the flow of migrants, and maintain a secure, orderly and humane border. Despite continued requests for assistance, the Biden administration has refused to deliver desperately needed resources to Arizona’s border.”

Some details, including how many National Guard members would be sent on the southern border mission, were not available. Hobbs' order says that is up to the decision of Adjutant General Kerry Muehlenbeck, the top Guard official in Arizona and head of the state Department of Emergency and Military Affairs.

Hobbs' administration has previously acknowledged that National Guard members cannot, without orders from the federal government, staff the shuttered Lukeville Port of Entry.

The Biden administration's decision to close that port earlier this month, citing the need for Customs and Border Protection staffers elsewhere, has halted daily crossings and shuttered a key route to Puerto Peñasco in Mexico. Residents in the town also known as Rocky Point have described a "ghost town" atmosphere as a result that is harming the tourism economy.

National Guard troops will be sent to several locations, including near the Lukeville and San Miguel crossings, to help the Arizona Department of Public Safety and local police agencies with enforcement. That will include fentanyl interdiction, analytical support and enforcement targeting human trafficking, according to Hobbs' office.

Hobbs' order says the Arizona Department of Public Safety shall increase operations along the border, though details were not provided.

The Governor's Office said deploying the National Guard is the next step in Operation SECURE, a multifaceted funding plan announced by Hobbs a week ago. That plan includes millions of dollars earmarked to cover the cost of sending Guard troops to communities near the border.

Steps at border: Gov. Katie Hobbs presses Biden to reopen Lukeville Port of Entry, shifts millions to the border

Hobbs visited the Lukeville port on Dec. 9 and met Friday morning at her office with Gov. Alfonso Durazo of Sonora, the Mexican state that borders Arizona. Hobbs posted on social media the meeting was to “discuss ways we can work together to ensure the prompt re-opening of the Lukeville Port of Entry and bring security and stability to the Arizona-Mexico border."

With her latest executive order Friday, Hobbs follows suit of several previous Arizona governors in using the National Guard to support enforcement at the state's southern border. Former Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, sent Guard members to the border on a 30-month mission beginning in April 2021. Though numbers fluctuated throughout the mission, about 300 Guard personnel were active at a time, according to Guard spokesperson Capt. Erin Hannigan.

Those troops went home in September.

“Mobilizing forces swiftly in support of our state and nation has been a longstanding mission for us, not a recent endeavor,” Muehlenbeck said in a statement that noted the recently completed mission. "The National Guard will continue to remain ready to provide enhanced capabilities through the mobilization of well-trained and well-equipped personnel.”

In crisis: Closed Lukeville border crossing has Puerto Peñasco facing 'catastrophic' economic impact

Hobbs' action marks a decisive step on a political issue of prominence in the Grand Canyon State, and one on which there are no catch-all solutions at her disposal. State powers to police the border are limited because immigration policy and enforcement falls to the federal government.

Deploying the National Guard was met with mixed reaction from Arizona's representatives in Congress, including from Democrats.

"While it’s overdue, I’m glad to see Governor Hobbs sign today’s executive order and take this necessary action to secure our border," U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., said through a spokesperson. "What will it take for President Biden to listen to border communities, make this a priority and take just one step in the right direction?”

What you need to know: Lukeville border crossing closed on way to Rocky Point

U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton, D- Ariz., called the border situation a "crisis point" and said Hobbs was "making the right call." “Arizonans can’t keep making up for the federal government’s failures,” Stanton said in a statement. “It’s past time for my colleagues here in Congress to put politics aside and work across the aisle to get federal law enforcement the resources they need to do their jobs.”

But U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., said he did not support Hobbs' decision to send in the National Guard.

"The Biden administration’s lack of adequate resources and personnel on our southern border has forced Governor Hobbs to take this last resort action in an attempt to reopen Lukeville and address this mounting humanitarian crisis," he said in a statement, calling on Biden to send in more personnel and on Congress to pass immigration reform.

Reach reporter Stacey Barchenger at stacey.barchenger@arizonarepublic.com or 480-416-5669.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Gov. Hobbs sends National Guard to Arizona's border communities