Arizona Democrats oppose Ducey’s decision to deploy National Guard

PHOENIX — A group of Arizona lawmakers wrote a letter to Gov. Doug Ducey on Monday, opposing his decision to send more than 300 National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Sens. Andrea Dalessandro, whose district includes part of the Mexico border, and 28 of her Democratic lawmakers signed the letter that addressed their “strong opposition” to deploy 338 members to the border.

The letter said Ducey’s decision to agree to the request was “made before receiving full information about the potential costs and without properly outlined procedures and expectations.”

Ducey also did not consult the border communities about the move, the letter claimed.

“Border crossings are down to the lowest level since 1971. There is no crisis. Trust me, I live 40 miles from the border and there is nobody in my district telling me we have a crisis,” the letter read.

“In fact, my district, which shares a border with Mexico in both Pima and Santa Cruz counties, is a wonderful place to live and to visit – especially our border towns like Nogales.”

The letter claimed that Trump’s “actions and mischaracterizations of life on the border” make life more difficult for those communities and militarizing it would cause more harm.

“Arizona has worked hard to repair our image after SB 1070, and this choice sets us back from that progress. We’ve worked hard to show our neighbor to the south and the rest of the country that we welcome visitors to our state.”

While Ducey said in his initial announcement that the troops would only be assisting federal partners in supportive roles and would not be able to enforce the law, the lawmakers said the move would ensure that they would be there for some time.

“Under President Trump’s plan, National Guard troops will assist Border Patrol agents until Congress passes legislation to deal with what the administration says are legal loopholes in immigration enforcement.

“With no hope for comprehensive immigration reform coming from Congress, this move would appear to be a near-permanent militarization of Arizona’s border communities under the current administration.”

The letter ended by urging Ducey to reconsider his position after it has gone through the proper vetting at the federal, state and local levels.

“The people who President Trump has demonized are fleeing violence and devastating poverty in their home countries, including children fleeing dangerous street gangs that force them into a murderous lifestyle,” it read.

“They deserve our compassion, not our scorn.”

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