Arizona Governor Declares State of Emergency at Border

Arizona has become the first border state to declare an emergency amid a surge in arrests of people crossing the border illegally. Gov, Doug Ducey declared a state of emergency in six counties in southwest Arizona Wednesday, saying the Border Patrol is "overwhelmed" and local law enforcement agencies are "crying out for help," the Arizona Republic reports. Ducey is sending 250 National Guard troops to support law enforcement at the border with Mexico. His office says the troops will help with medical operations in detention centers and will install and maintain a state-operated camera system on the border, per the Hill.

The Republican governor said $25 million would be spent on the deployment. He did not say how long it would last. Ducey blamed the rise in illegal crossings on the Biden administration, the Wall Street Journal reports. "The numbers don’t lie, this drastic surge is a direct result of the bad policy, coming out of Washington, DC," he said Wednesday. The Republic reports that Arizona's two Democratic senators said they supported the move. Sen. Mark Kelly said " there is a crisis on the border" and he has been pushing the administration to provide more resources. (More Arizona stories.)