Engineers from 937th Clearance Company prepare to place concertina wire on the Arizona-Mexico border wall, Dec. 1, 2018./COREY MAISCH/U.S. ARMY
By Howard Fischer | Capitol Media Services
Declaring an emergency in six counties, Gov. Doug Ducey said Tuesday he is going to put 250 Arizona National Guard soldiers along the southern border.
In a video press release, the governor said the troops will be there to help provide support for state and local law enforcement “as the nation experiences a rapid increase in apprehensions and migrant children in federal custody.” Ducey intends to provide up to $25 million in initial funding.
“The situation in our border communities is just as bad — if not worse — than the coverage we’ve been seeing,” the governor said in the prepared video.
And Ducey, who has taken a lead role among Republicans on border issues, said it’s the president’s fault, saying there have been “very real consequences of the Biden administration’s failed policies.”
The governor mentioned there have been more than 170,000 apprehensions along the border since the beginning of the year, with almost 19,000 unaccompanied minors taken into custody. And that is higher than figures in prior years.
“The numbers don’t lie,” he said. “This surge is a direct result of the bad policies coming out of Washington, D.C.”
Related: Sens. Sinema, Kelly, support putting National. Guard at the southern border
