DHS Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen to visit Arizona for second time in two months
May 31, 2018, 4:13 AM | Updated: 10:40 am
Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen speaks during a roundtable on immigration policy with President Donald Trump at Morrelly Homeland Security Center, Wednesday, May 23, 2018, in Bethpage, N.Y. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
PHOENIX — The head of the Department of Homeland Security will visit Arizona on Thursday to tour the U.S.-Mexico border with U.S. Rep. Martha McSally, the Republican congresswoman’s office announced Wednesday.
Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen will join McSally on an operation tour of the Port of Nogales DeConcini Crossing in Nogales before participating in a roundtable discussion with members of the business community, ranchers, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Arizona National Guard.
The pair will also take a line tour to view enforcement challenges, border fencing, terrain features and threats, and spotter lookout points.
The announcement came one day after McSally hosted a Homeland Security congressional subcommittee hearing in Phoenix.
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McSally and other Arizona officials, including Gov. Doug Ducey, spoke about the opioid crisis that has gripped many parts of the country, alleging that it was fueled in part by the high volume of drugs that come across the southern border.
McSally told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News on Thursday morning the tour also would include the port of entry in Douglas, which was built in 1933.
“We need a new port down there. I’ve been tirelessly advocating for that. So she’s going to see that first hand,” McSally said.
“This is an impact for the economy, because the cross-border commerce, but also for drugs and national security.”
This is the second time in two months that Nielsen will visit the border state.
The DHS secretary and Ducey visited the Arizona border in San Luis, south of Yuma, in April to tour the border wall and speak to Customs and Border Protection representatives to learn about enforcement operations in the area.
Nielsen at the time emphasized the need for more infrastructure at the border and called the situation along the border with Mexico a “crisis.”
“Despite the step this administration has taken to strengthen border security, we continue to see unacceptable levels of illegal drugs, dangerous gang and transnational criminal organization activity and illegal immigration flow across our nation’s border,” she said.
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Martha Maurer and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
