Category: Border Security

Katie Hobbs budget will defund Border Strike Force, despite campaign pledge to expand it

PHOENIX — The executive budget released Friday by Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs will defund the Border Strike Force, despite her campaign pledge to expand it.

The Border Strike Force is a law enforcement initiative established by Governor Doug Ducey in 2015 to stop dangerous crime at the border.

A provision within the executive summary for Hobbs’s budget — quietly released as a late-Friday news dump ahead of the holiday weekend — claims that the initiative “does not appear to have accomplished its intended purpose.” The summary acknowledges that her proposal therefore “eliminates the Border Strike Task Force Ongoing special line item (SLI) and its associated $17.1 million in funding” and “eliminates the Border Strike Task Force Local Support SLI and its associated $12.2 million in funding.”

However, the Democrat promised voters on the campaign trail that she would do the opposite.

During a June 2022 interview on 12 News, Hobbs told anchor Brahm Resnik that Governor Ducey “created the Border Strike Task Force that really, in reality, is a drug-interdiction unit” and pledged that one of her priorities would be “continuing to provide the support so that they’re able to carry out that job.”

Hobbs’s other border proposals include lifting Title 42, removing the shipping containers at the U.S.-Mexico border, and providing “resources” to help guide illegal immigrants “to their final destination.”

Katie Hobbs tells NPR she supports guiding illegal immigrants “to their final destination”

PHOENIX — Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs said on the radio Saturday that Title 42 is “not an issue” and that she supports guiding illegal immigrants “to their final destination.”

During a “Weekend Edition” segment on border security, the Democrat criticized efforts to bus illegal immigrants out of Arizona as a “political stunt” and suggesting providing the migrants with “resources” instead.

“[T]hey are getting on buses with resources, going to Washington, D.C.,” Hobbs said. “I think that a better solution is giving them resources and getting them to their final destination, and that would eliminate a lot of headache.”

NPR host Scott Simon then asked for clarification about the Democrat’s position on Title 42 expulsions: “Are you talking about lifting Title 42, or are you in favor of expanding it in a sense as President Biden did this week?”

“Um,” Hobbs responded, followed by a period of awkward silence. “Oh … well, I mean … right now, it’s not an issue and looks like it’s going to be in place, but that these conversations were in preparation for the possibility that that was going to happen.”

Hobbs has repeatedly changed her position on Title 42 over the past year, with Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels recently slamming her for rubber-stamping the Biden administration’s dangerous open-border policies, which have left the border crisis “the worst I’ve ever seen it.”

You can listen to part of the NPR segment below:

Cochise County sheriff slams Katie Hobbs on open borders: “This is the worst I’ve ever seen it”

PHOENIX — Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels slammed Democratic Governor-elect Katie Hobbs this week for rubber-stamping the Biden administration’s dangerous open-border policies.

Tulsi Gabbard interviewed Dannels on Tuesday’s episode of “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”

“The Biden administration has ordered Arizona to stop using these large shipping containers that they’ve put up as a means to try to keep illegal migrants out,” Gabbard said. “Governor-elect Katie Hobbs has also said she’s going to stop using these containers.”

Dannels responded that the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border “is the worst I’ve ever seen it.” He accused President Joe Biden of creating “an open border by design” and criticized the administration for suing Arizona, which only wants “to protect the citizens of this state.”

Earlier this month, Hobbs called for the lifting of Title 42 and expressed solidarity with the Biden administration over its lawsuit against Arizona.

“Governor Ducey has stepped up,” Dannels continued. “For the last eight years, Governor Ducey has made his priority public safety in the state of Arizona to protect Arizonans, and I commend him for that.”

Katie Hobbs calls for lifting of Title 42: It’s “not working”

PHOENIX — Democratic Governor-elect Katie Hobbs is doubling-down on her call to lift Title 42 and remove the shipping containers at the U.S.-Mexico border.

During a December 17 interview with MSNBC, Hobbs acknowledged “the real issues that we’re going to see when Title 42 is lifted next week” but insisted that it should happen anyway, adding, “I’ve been saying all along that Title 42 is not working.”

However, the Democrat has repeatedly changed her position on Title 42 over the past year. In early April, she told 3TV that “Title 42 is not working.” She reversed three weeks later, telling the Arizona Republic that the Biden administration should “reverse this rash decision” to lift Title 42. Another reversal came in October when she told Telemundo that “Title 42 is not immigration policy” and that “I am not sure what issue it’s trying to solve.” Then, earlier this month, she warned 12 News about the influx of illegal immigration “we’re going to face when Title 42 is lifted.”

Alex Witt, the MSNBC anchor, also asked Hobbs for her thoughts about the federal government’s lawsuit against Arizona in response to the state’s placement of shipping containers along the southern border as a stopgap security measure. The governor-elect expressed solidarity with the Biden administration (her longtime position on the issue), calling the containers “a liability for the state” and citing “environmental concerns.”

“We need a real action from Congress to address comprehensive immigration reform,” Hobbs concluded.

Katie Hobbs says shipping containers at border “a waste of Arizona taxpayer dollars”

PHOENIX — Democratic Governor-elect Katie Hobbs reiterated Friday that she wants to see the shipping containers removed from the U.S.-Mexico border.

Hobbs said during an interview with 12 News anchor Tram Mai that the shipping containers — a stopgap measure led by Governor Doug Ducey in the face of federal inaction — are “a waste of Arizona taxpayer dollars” and that “they’re clearly not an effective barrier.” She has staked out this position since the November election, pledging to remove the containers in order to avoid litigation.

The Democrat acknowledged on television that the federal government “is failing” Arizona at the border and expressed concern about the influx of illegal immigrants “we’re going to face when Title 42 is lifted.” However, Hobbs failed to disclose to Mai that she repeatedly backed the lifting of Title 42. For example, she told 3TV in April that “Title 42 is not working” and argued on Telemundo in October that “Title 42 is not immigration policy” and “I am not sure what issue it’s trying to solve.”

Hobbs has acknowledged on a number of occasions that she intends to defund Arizona’s Border Strike Force despite her campaign pledge to the contrary, a reversal for which she has been criticized by lawmakers.

The governor-elect also told 12 News that “hiring is really critical” and “that is going to serve us well in the Governor’s Office.” One of Hobbs’s first hires on the Ninth Floor, announced earlier this month, is a Human Resources manager tasked with promoting a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) agenda throughout her administration.

Katie Hobbs hardens opposition to Border Strike Force: “I didn’t vote for the funding in the first place”

PHOENIX — Democratic Governor-elect Katie Hobbs reiterated Wednesday that she intends to defund the Border Strike Force upon taking office.

When Arizona PBS anchor Ted Simons asked about her position on “defunding the Border Strike Task Force,” Hobbs responded that “I didn’t vote for the funding in the first place” and that there might be “a better way to utilize those resources.”

The comment is the second time that the Democrat has taken this position in recent weeks. It was reported in November that she was “taking a hard look” at defunding the strike force, a collaborative law enforcement effort aimed at protecting borders communities, despite her campaign pledge to the contrary.

Hobbs also told Simons during Wednesday’s interview that she views the shipping containers placed along the U.S.-Mexico border — a stopgap border security measure implemented by Governor Doug Ducey — as “a political stunt” and wondered aloud “how much it costs to remove the shipping containers.” She has staked out this position repeatedly since Election Day.

Katie Hobbs doubles-down on plan to remove shipping containers at southern border

PHOENIX — Republican Governor Doug Ducey placed shipping containers along the U.S.-Mexico border several months ago as a stopgap measure to improve border security, but Democratic Governor-elect Katie Hobbs is doubling-down on her proposal to remove them.

Hobbs made the comments in a series of three post-election interviews. She told 3TV’s Dennis Welch that “these shipping containers aren’t necessarily effective” and that the State of Arizona should not be “embroiled in a legal battle over them,” a reference to the Biden administration’s recent legal threats over the issue. She repeated the line to Fox 10 Phoenix’s Steve Nielsen, arguing that the state should not be “wasting resources on a court battle” over “political stunts.” She similarly characterized the containers to KTAR’s Barry Markson as “more of a political stunt than anything else.”

Hobbs recently drew criticism for backtracking on a campaign pledge after it came to light that she is “taking a hard look” at defunding Arizona’s Border Strike Force.

Katie Hobbs “taking a hard look” at defunding Border Strike Force, despite campaign pledge to the contrary

PHOENIX — Democratic Governor-elect Katie Hobbs admitted during one of her first post-election television interviews on November 16 that she is “taking a hard look” at defunding Arizona’s Border Strike Force.

Following an extended interview, 3TV’s Dennis Welch informed viewers that Hobbs “told me that she would be taking a hard look at Governor Ducey’s Border Strike Force and whether or not she will keep it” pending her assessment of “whether it’s an appropriate role for the Arizona Department of Public Safety.” The remark contradicts Hobbs’s previous position on the issue. During a June 2021 interview on 12 News, Hobbs applauded the Border Strike Force as a successful “drug interdiction unit” and said that one of her priorities would be “continuing to provide the support so that they’re able to carry out that job.”

The Border Strike Force, established by Ducey in 2015, is a collaborative law enforcement effort to stop dangerous crime at the border involving drugs, weapons, theft, and more. The success of the effort in Arizona led 26 governors to form the American Governors’ Border Strike Force in April 2022, but, asked by Welch if she is “going to stick with” the state’s membership in the nationwide coalition, Hobbs declined to answer, stating only that “it’s something that I need to look more closely at in terms of how it’s working.”

One day earlier, Hobbs had pledged during a campaign victory speech that she would “provide our border communities with the resources they need” in order to address the “border crisis.”

In victory speech, Katie Hobbs finally acknowledges ‘border crisis’ and ‘skyrocket’ inflation under Joe Biden

PHOENIX — Democratic Governor-elect Katie Hobbs delivered a speech to campaign supporters November 15 declaring victory in the Arizona gubernatorial race.

In the speech, Hobbs acknowledged the “skyrocket” inflation that has occurred under the Biden administration — including “rising costs on housing and groceries” — and told taxpayers that she will “put more money back in your pockets” as governor. She also pledged to “provide our border communities with the resources they need” and conceded that there is, in fact, “a border crisis” in Arizona, backtracking from a June 2021 interview with 3TV’s Dennis Welch during which Hobbs had demurred when asked if problems at the border constituted a “crisis.”

Hobbs then praised her Democratic successor, stating, “I’m thrilled to know that I will be handing the keys of the Secretary of State’s Office to Adrian Fontes.”