For months, the Biden administration has largely ignored the mayhem caused by its anti-border policies. Because of this, state and local leaders have stepped in to help exhausted border agents secure the border and protect American communities from President Biden’s reckless directives.
On December 7, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey (R) became the latest governor to take things into his own hands, announcing an increase and reallocation of Arizona’s public safety resources to curb the mounting chaos from the border crisis in Yuma, Arizona. Gov. Ducey said the Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) and National Guard would deploy resources to help patrol along vulnerable portions of the border. Additionally, the National Guard is slated to dispatch servicemembers and vehicles to aid the AZDPS in their patrol efforts.
In April, Arizona issued a Declaration of Emergency in response to the initial consequences of President Biden’s border crisis. Their governor first directed the state’s National Guard to the Yuma Sector to reinforce local law enforcement and Border Patrol. Then, in June, along with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), Gov. Ducey requested help from other states to send available law enforcement personnel to help secure their respective borders with Mexico. Meanwhile, the administration has only caused border conditions to worsen.
The Arizona Republican did not shy away from attributing the border crisis to the current administration, saying, “It’s clear the Biden administration has created a December Disaster at our border. As a result of piecemeal policy and lack of federal involvement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has been inundated. We simply cannot stand by and watch the catastrophe unfold. We are taking action at the state level to protect Arizonans and our communities.”
Gov. Ducey’s concern about our porous border is not unfounded. The Yuma Sector has been one of the hardest-hit border regions from unauthorized crossings. It often faces thousands of migrants attempting to pass through, including one instance that occurred recently.
Furthermore, the surge in illegal immigration has shifted local enforcement priorities to helping illegal aliens instead of focusing on its law-abiding residents. According to Border Report, the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office has been responding to more calls for service made by migrants, such as requesting to be picked up, a function typically carried out by Border Patrol. However, the lack of available immigration agents has forced local agencies to pick up the slack while the Biden administration does nothing to help these struggling communities.
Arizona isn’t the only state struggling to secure the border. In March, Texas initiated Operation Lone Star, a statewide enforcement effort to curtail the flow of illicit drugs and human smuggling into the state. Even Florida, nearly 1,000 miles away from the U.S.-Mexico border, has launched a similar law enforcement initiative to secure its borders by directing state authorities to detain vehicles suspected of smuggling illegal aliens into the state.
While the leadership of these state governments tries to mitigate the consequences of this crisis, it is incumbent on the federal government to implement effective immigration policies that are effective and keep Americans safe. Or, at the very least, they need to enforce immigration laws that are already on the books.
