Native American Nation Will Not Allow National Guard Troops Along Their Part of Border

by Cameron Arcand

 

Even though Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs ordered National Guard troops to the southern border on Friday, not everyone in the region is on board.

The Tohono Oʼodham Nation, which is a Native American nation that touches parts of the southern border in the Tucson Sector, wrote in a letter that they do not want troops along their portion of the border.

“We are in close communication with Governor Hobbs on this issue. We made clear that no National Guard would be deployed to the Nation and her office has agreed. Today’s action by the Governor is a necessary step in addressing the current crisis at the border,” nation Chairman Verlon Jose said in a statement on Friday.

However, Jose added that the federal government needs to take responsibility for the migrant surge and other immigration issues.

“Ultimately, comprehensive border solutions are a federal issue. Congress needs to act to pass sensible immigration legislation. Congress also needs to appropriate the necessary resources for CBP to address the temporary migrant surge. Until they take these common-sense steps, our communities will continue to be impacted by border problems.”

Fox News’ Bill Melugin reported that the nation does not have a wall with Mexico and can sometimes deal with over 1,000 migrant crossings daily, according to the National Border Patrol Council.

The troops are intended to support state and local authorities, such as the Arizona Department of Public Safety, already in the Tucson Sector in the wake of the Lukeville Port of Entry closure by Customs and Border Protection.

With over 18,000 apprehensions from CBP in the past two weeks in the sector overall, authorities recentered their resources toward the migrant surge as opposed to the legal entry point in Lukeville.

“Yet again, the federal government is refusing to do its job to secure our border and keep our communities safe,” Hobbs said in a statement Friday, The Center Square reported.

“With this Executive Order, I am taking action where the federal government won’t. But we can’t stand alone, Arizona needs resources and manpower to reopen the Lukeville crossing, manage the flow of migrants, and maintain a secure, orderly and humane border. Despite continued requests for assistance, the Biden administration has refused to deliver desperately needed resources to Arizona’s border,” she continued.

Hobbs originally said that authorities in the area were not asking for additional assistance when CBP first announced the Lukeville closure, The Center Square reported.

– – –

Cameron Arcand is a staff reporter for The Center Square covering Arizona. A contributor since 2022, Arcand previously worked for Salem Media Group and The Western Journal.