AZ Rep Calls for Presence of National Guard

(RightWing.org) – President Joe Biden began reversing his predecessor’s immigration policies on his first day in office. Since then, border agents have encountered more than 7.5 million individuals nationwide, roughly 6.2 million at the nation’s southern border. The situation has degraded in Arizona to the point that one of its US representatives is calling for the presence of National Guard troops to augment existing enforcement actions.

On November 30, Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas about “an urgent matter” taking place at the border between Arizona and Mexico. Pointing out that the number of individuals crossing that boundary has “steadily increased to record-breaking numbers,” he said that border security officials had encountered more than 9,400 migrants the previous day alone.

Ciscomani explained that the border sector south of Tucson leads those encounters to the point that enforcement officials are “overrun.” Likewise, he wrote that they are “undermanned.” Continuing, he stressed two critical points.

The situation surrounding the mounting border encounters has “surpassed the breaking point.”
Frontline officials attempting to thwart the flood of migrants crossing into the country “need immediate support.”

Accordingly, Ciscomani urged Mayorkas to “immediately” address the crisis by submitting a formal request to Defense Department officials to “deploy the Arizona National Guard” to help protect local communities in Arizona. Likewise, those guardsmen could support US Customs and Border Patrol agents and other law enforcement officials.

Ciscomani concluded his letter by asking Mayorkas to work with Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs (AZ) and the state’s sheriffs, supervisors, and mayors to help with the dire situation at the Tucson border sector.

The Republicans serving on the House Committee on Homeland Security recently issued a report that sheds some light on the urgency for Mayorkas and other administration officials to start addressing issues at the nation’s borders. For instance, in 2023, border officials blocked 169 people listed on the terrorist database from entering the country, 18 in September alone. Additionally, they warned that roughly 1.7 million individuals attempting to cross into the United States have evaded capture since Biden assumed office.