Ducey dines, discusses immigration, border policies with Trump
May 21, 2018, 5:04 PM
(Twitter/@markknoller)
PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey was among the Republican governors who dined with President Donald Trump on Monday, as the group discussed border security and other immigration policies.
The Blue Room dinner included Govs. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, Phil Bryant of Mississippi, Susana Martinez of New Mexico and Henry McMaster of South Carolina.
Trump, during a short press availability, railed at the nation’s immigration laws, calling them the “worst anywhere in the world as far as stopping people from coming in.”
Trump also called to end the so-called catch-and-release policies, under which federal immigration officers release those detained for being in the U.S. illegally pending legal proceedings.
“We have to end it,” he said. “These laws have been there a long time and they are horrible.”
The president also said that progress on a U.S.-Mexico border wall was being made but calls on Congress to provide more funding toward his signature campaign promise. He also thanked the governors for their cooperation with sending National Guard troops to the border.
Ducey announced in April that he would send 225 National Guard troops to the border to help “our federal partners with any support role responsibilities that they need.”
Chief of Staff John Kelly, Department of Homeland Security Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen, and Energy Sec. Rick Perry were also in attendance.
News of the dinner first surfaced Monday, when the governor’s office announced that he would meet with Trump to discuss border security and immigration policies.
The dinner came just days after a teenager shot 10 people to death at a high school in Texas.
It’s not the first time Ducey has spoken with the president on community safety.
In February, Ducey and other governors talked with Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, just two weeks after a deadly school shooting in Florida.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.