'Our border communities are struggling': Gov. Hobbs visits DC to discuss migrant crisis
PHOENIX - We're learning more about Gov. Katie Hobbs' recent trip to Washington, D.C. and her meeting with the Secretary of Homeland Security to talk about the border crisis.
The Tucson sector has been the busiest section across the entire Southwest border when it comes to migrant encounters.
According to the latest statistics posted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Tucson Sector saw over 48,000 encounters in August alone, far surpassing other sectors in Texas, California, and New Mexico. Last week, they made over 12,000 apprehensions.
Governor Katie Hobbs met with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to voice her concerns and discuss her expectations for action at the southern border.
This is not their first meeting, as Hobbs previously took Mayorkas on a tour of Nogales in March.
The governor has been actively addressing the issue since taking office, including arranging buses to transport migrants to larger cities and allocating $10 million for the Nogales Police Department.
Ultimately, she seeks to see more action taken on the federal level.
"When I was in Washington DC last week talking with the secretary about how our border communities are struggling because of lack of resources, and this is just one more hit they are going to take," Hobbs said. "It should be a priority, and it should be a priority for the members of Arizona's delegation who continue to rail on the border.
"And then 5 of them voted against the CR and were willing to shut the government down over it, so they need to do their jobs," expressed Hobbs.
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Meanwhile, the American Sheriff Alliance met in San Diego to talk about the pressure and strain on resources they face due to a lack of border enforcement.
The group says they do not have the adequate funding or staffing to respond to the recent influxes to deal with violent criminals and drugs coming through, on top of migrants seeking asylum.
For now, they're calling on the White House and local governments to step in and help.