Yuma mayor says ‘common ground’ should spark border discussions with new Arizona Gov. Hobbs

PHOENIX — Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls believes he will have productive border discussions with new Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs because the two share some similarities about the importance of the situation.

“It just extends beyond just the people coming across [the border], it extends to the people who actually live at the border,” Nicholls told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Gaydos and Chad on Wednesday.

“So I think we’ve got common ground to get started from and we’ll see where it goes.”

Hobbs, a Democrat, has outlined immigration and border security as top priorities in her first 100 days in office.

That means upping funding to increase Department of Public Safety help for sheriffs and local law enforcement, and more funding for community centers and hospitals, according to Hobbs’ plan.

“She’s more concerned about the people coming across and those issues,” Nicholls said. “That’s not too far off the same mark that I’ve been talking about.”

A meeting between Nicholls and Hobbs in the border city could be coming soon.

The mayor has extended a request to Hobbs. He was told that a meeting time would be easier to figure out following Thursday’s inauguration.

Hobbs’ immigration plan says “one of her biggest priorities is communicating with local government officials, law enforcement, community centers and health care providers to ensure they get the support they need from the state government.”

“I invited her down to Yuma, which her response was that we need to do that sooner rather than later,” Nicholls said. “We’re looking to continue dialogue with her.”

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