Governor Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) has announced the launching of Operation Desert Guardian, a joint task force designed to crack down on the cartels in Arizona.
Created via executive order, Gov. Hobbs's Operation Desert Guardian comprises the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs, the Arizona Department of Public Safety, and the Arizona Department of Homeland Security. They will work with local law enforcement and the federal government to disrupt the flow of drugs, weapons, and people across the border in Yuma, Pima, Cochise, and Santa Cruz Counties.
Gov. Hobbs's program builds upon Task Force SAFE, launched in November, establishing a partnership between the Arizona National Guard and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). In just a few months, Task Force SAFE has already seized 19 million fentanyl pills, nearly 6,600 pounds of other drugs, and 237 weapons from being smuggled into the United States.
In her press release, the Arizona Governor said, "I'm proud to launch Operation Desert Guardian to combat the cartels, stop drug smuggling and human trafficking, and secure Arizona's border."
"My administration has been in contact with the federal government and local sheriffs about the Operation, its critical objectives, and our shared commitment to keeping criminals and drugs out of Arizona's communities. I have worked productively with the federal government on Task Force SAFE and partnered with local law enforcement to deliver critical border security support, and I look forward to continued partnership on our shared border security priorities. With Operation Desert Guardian, I'm confident we can take an important next step in our ongoing work to secure the border," Hobbs continued.
Operation Desert Guardian is the latest piece of legislation aimed at securing the Grand Canyon State's border with Mexico at the local level and by its Representatives in Congress, with Representative Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) introducing the Border Enforcement, Security, and Trade (BEST) Facilitation Act to expedite cargo screenings at ports of entry along the border to improve crackdowns on illegal contraband entering the country.
State Representative David Marshall's (R-7) HB2733, sponsored by Attorney General Kris Mayes, is a state-level initiative that recently made the news cycle. This initiative authorizes Arizona law enforcement to shoot down suspected cartel drones.
"Arizonans wanted to see and do want to see border security, and I think there is a lot more, actually, that can be done to secure our border. One of the things that I want the Trump Administration to do that they have not done yet is to send us more Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) agents so that we can really go after and prosecute the Mexican drug cartels, but obviously, getting the numbers down is important, but we need more boots on the ground," AG Mayes recently told Fox News.
