In a letter to President Biden on Friday, Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs expressed her frustration and concern about the administration’s response to the southern border crisis and, in the process, requested hefty reimbursements.
“Today, I sent a letter to President Biden calling on him to redeploy members of the National Guard to help reopen it, as well as repay the $512,529,333 inaction the federal border has cost us,” the post by Hobbs in X.
In the letter, Hobbs told Biden that the reimbursements were for “the federal government’s failure to secure Arizona’s border,” emphasizing that going forward, the state of Arizona will regularly seek reimbursement from to the federal government.
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Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin/File)
On Monday, the Lukeville Port of Entry was closed by order of the federal government, forcing all American and Mexican residents to drive several hours to the next closest port of entry in Nogales, Arizona.
“For far too long, Arizona has continued to bear the burden of federal inaction in managing our southern border,” Hobbs wrote in the letter. “The recent decision to close the Lukeville Port of Entry has led to an unrelenting humanitarian crisis in the area and has put Arizona’s safety and commerce at risk.”
In his letter, Hobbs urged Biden to “immediately” move the 243 National Guard soldiers already stationed in the Tucson region to the Lukeville Port of Entry.
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“Additionally, to the extent necessary, I am requesting that additional members of the National Guard currently on federal active duty orders be redeployed to Arizona to assist US Customs and Border Protection in reopening the Lukeville Port of Entry,” Hobbs said.
Hobbs is scheduled to travel to the state’s southern border with Mexico this weekend to visit the border crisis in Lukeville.
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Migrants flee a gap being repaired in the border wall in Lukeville, Ariz. (Fox News/File)
Hobbs added that border security and keeping their communities safe are his top priorities.
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“As long as I’m Governor, I will do everything I can to keep Arizonans safe — even if the federal government fails to act,” Hobbs said.
The Gov’s office did not immediately respond. Hobbs to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
