CBP closing an Arizona port of entry because it says agents are overwhelmed with migrants crossing border illegally
KAWC | By Howard Fischer
Published December 4, 2023 at 1:25 AM MST
By Howard Fischer
Capitol Media Services
PHOENIX -- Saying it is overwhelmed with people crossing the border illegally, Customs and Border Protection will be shutting down the port of entry at Lukeville on Monday, a move that will force Arizonans to drive hundreds of miles out of the way to get to and from the Mexican resort town of Puerto Peñasco.
And a top Senate Republican is calling on Gov. Katie Hobbs to deploy the National Guard to keep it open to expedite traffic for Arizonans who need to cross.
"On any given weekend, probably half of that city is Arizona citizens,'' said T.J. Shope, the Senate president pro-tem. "I want to make sure they are safe coming home and able to get across that border and keep it open.''
And that, he said, includes his wife, Melissa.
"The thought of her having to drive through roads I've never driven through, I can't verify the safety of that,'' Shope told Capitol Media Services.
But Hobbs is showing no interest in what Shope is proposing.
"This is an unacceptable outcome that further destabilizes our border, risks the safey of our communities, and damages our economy by disrupting trade and tourism,'' the Democratic governor said in a joint statement with Democrat Mark Kelly and independent Kyrsten Sinema, the state's two U.S. senators. And the answer, they said, had to come from Washington.
https://www.kawc.org/news/2023-12-04/cbp-closing-an-arizona-port-of-entry-because-it-says-agents-are-overwhelmed-with-migrants-crossing-border-illegally
