Gov. Hobbs to grant $10 million to Nogales Police Department for border security

PHOENIX — Gov. Katie Hobbs announced Friday a $10 million grant that will help the Nogales Police Department protect the U.S.-Mexico border.

Specifically, the grant will help the department buy communications technology to support communities near the border, officials said.

“Time and again I’ve asked the Biden administration for assistance at the border, but instead they have chosen to redirect resources to speed the release of migrants without the support and coordination our local communities deserve,” Hobbs said in a statement.

Hobbs called out the recent decisions from Customs and Border Protection, which reassigned personnel from five of Arizona’s ports of entry.

Those who formerly worked at Arizona’s ports of entry now expedite migrants through immigration processing, she said. That leads to a boost in street releases in border communities — and a shifting of responsibility from federal powers to local leaders.

“Arizona is being overwhelmed and we can’t afford to lose manpower at our ports of entry,” Hobbs said. “I’m glad to deliver border security resources to our communities, but the federal government needs to do its job and take action to ensure our border is secure and the migration process is orderly and humane.”