Governor Doug Ducey and 25 fellow Republican governors are requesting to meet with President Joe Biden to find solutions to the current border crisis.
In a letter released today, the governors said they want “to bring an end to the national security crisis created by eight months of unenforced borders. The months-long surge in illegal crossings has instigated an international humanitarian crisis.”
In June, a bipartisan group of Arizona legislators called on President Biden to respond to the growing issues at the border. This came in response to the Biden administration formally ending a Trump-era immigration policy that forced asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration court. In May, Governor Ducey joined 19 fellow governors to call on President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to reverse their border policies.
According to Ducey’s press release, the Yuma Sector Border Patrol has experienced a more than 900 percent increase in apprehensions compared to last year and the Tucson Sector Border Patrol has experienced a more than 200 percent increase in apprehensions.
The letter follows the release of data by U.S. Customs and Border Protection that shows border authorities detained more than 200,000 migrants in August for a second consecutive month.
The letter states, “Border apprehensions are up almost 500% compared to last year, totaling more than 1.3 million — more people than the populations of nine U.S. states. Approximately 9,700 illegal apprehensions have prior criminal convictions. Cartels and traffickers are making $14 million a day moving people illegally across the border. More fentanyl has been seized this fiscal year than the last three years combined — almost 10,500 pounds of fentanyl when only 2 milligrams prove fatal. This is enough to kill seven times the U.S. population.”
The governors concluded the letter stating they are “seeking an open and constructive dialogue regarding border enforcement
on behalf of U.S. citizens in our states and all those hoping to become U.S. citizens. We must end the current crisis and return to border operations that respect the laws of our land and the lives of all people, including those in our states looking to the federal government to enforce and protect our nation’s borders.”
Additional governors who signed the letter include Greg Abbott, Kay Ivey, Mike Dunleavy, Asa Hutchinson, Ron DeSantis, Brian Kemp, Brad Little, Eric Holcomb, Kim Reynolds, Larry Hogan, Charlie Baker, Tate Reeves, Mike Parson, Greg Gianforte, Pete Ricketts, Chris Sununu, Doug Burgum, Mike DeWine, Kevin Stitt, Henry McMaster, Kristi Noem, Bill Lee, Spencer Cox, Jim Justice, and Mark Gordon.
