Yuma Mayor Douglas Nicholls is just one of the many politicians in Arizona calling on President Joe Biden to take action on the escalating border crisis, resulting from the end of Title 42.
On Thursday, Nicholls wrote Biden a letter urging him to declare a national state of emergency.
Today I sent this letter to President Biden calling for his Declaration of National Emergency due to the migrant crisis on the US / Mexico border. Immediate action is needed at the border to deal with the increasing number of people crossing into the US illegally. pic.twitter.com/7jqZNnGgwm
— Douglas Nicholls (@MayorNicholls) May 12, 2023
“A state of emergency for our nation is dire and opens numerous immediate actions that will address the very real need for personnel and resources in Yuma. A full response by FEMA and the National Guard becomes possible,” wrote Nicholls.
“That would entail the deployment of FEMA personnel to establish transportation facilities for released migrants and aid from the National Guard to support the full mission of the Border Patrol to transport migrants to nonprofits in communities with more robust transportation and nonprofit options as allowed under Title 32,” continued Nicholls.
Also on Thursday, the Arizona House of Representatives Republican Majority Caucus demanded Biden make the border “safe and secure.”
The Caucus issued the following statement:
It’s deeply disturbing that any sitting President would endanger border states and neglect to protect American citizens from being overrun by the dangerous repercussions of an open and unsecure border. Yet that is precisely what President Biden and his administration have done since taking office.
With the president’s reckless decision to abandon Title 42 – an effective legal policy enabling the United States to turn back illegal immigrants, including those making asylum claims – border states like ours are bracing for a massive wave of additional illegal immigration and criminal activity that will exacerbate the current crisis beyond the breaking point.
Law enforcement agencies are already overextended from the endless flood of illegal immigration, human trafficking, and dangerous narcotics. Health care providers are strained, especially in border communities like Yuma, where it is a constant struggle to deliver essential services to residents in need of care.
After years of being on the front lines of the southern border crisis created entirely by the federal government’s refusal to secure the border, the State of Arizona was forced to act, investing its resources to help overwhelmed communities where it could.
In 2021, House Republicans passed a Border Security Fund, which was used to help prevent human trafficking and illegal entry into the country, to solidify infrastructure, aid local prosecution efforts, and other necessary activities to protect Arizona citizens.
Last year we put over $500 million into the fund and allocated over $209 million for a variety of state and local border enforcement activities. About $240 million remains in the fund, which the state can use to counteract the federal government’s negligence on the border and the harm it has in our communities.
In the new state budget passed this week, we included:
- Maintaining a $30 million program that provides additional support to local law enforcement facing border-related crimes. (Border Drug and Interdiction Fund; Local Border Support – formerly known as the Border Strike Force)
- Adding $10 million to human trafficking prevention efforts.
- Adding $3 million for additional fentanyl prosecution efforts.
With each passing day, illegal immigration grows, more deadly fentanyl pours through our borders, more young girls are pushed into border-related sex trafficking, and law enforcement officers are killed in the line of duty, all because leaders of our federal government refuse to protect the nation. We demand that change now. The border must be made safe and secure.
While the state cannot do the job of the federal government, House Republicans will continue working to ensure the state prioritizes safety, security, and the protection of the people of Arizona.