Arizona Border Strike Task Force Picks Up Federal Responsibilities



Border fence at Naco ArizonaArizona’s border strike task force, which was created in an attempt to secure the state’s border region, is proving effective after just one year at play. Arizona officials created the task force because of mounting public safety concerns resulting from inadequate federal efforts to curb illegal immigration and drug trafficking entering through the state’s border with Mexico.

In the past year, Arizona’s border strike task force seized 18,735 pounds of marijuana, 120 pounds of heroin and 802 pounds of methamphetamine. While proving successful, Arizona taxpayers are being forced to front the bill on duties generally assumed of the federal government. The border strike task force cost the state over $26.6 million dollars this year, with $10 million needed for on-going funding.

“This initiative brings to the table a combined cooperative effort of law enforcement on both sides of the border to go after heroin and methamphetamine drug traffickers with a long term goal of making all our communities safer,” said Department of Public Safety (DPS) Director Col. Frank Milstead. “It’s providing a force multiplier in the fight against drug cartels and border crime. This same cooperative effort includes working with public safety officials in the State of Sonora, Mexico just south of Arizona,” added a spokesperson from DPS.

Arizona is not the only border state forced to spend state taxpayer resources in efforts to secure its international border against drug and border-related crime. The Obama Administration’s proactive dismantling of immigration enforcement nationwide has forced many states to take action to discourage border-related crime in their regions. Notably, Texas Governor Greg Abbott authorized the Texas Department of Public Safety to continue increasing its operations patrolling its southern border last year. Additionally, the Texas General Assembly voted in its most recent legislative session to allocate $800 million in border security-related spending.

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Content written by Federation for American Immigration Reform staff.

4 Comments

  1. avatar

    WE CAN NOTTTTTTTTT SUPORT THE WHOLE DAM WORLD WITH PRINTED MONEY ## GERMANY CAN TELL YOU A STORY ABOUT THAT ## LOOK IT UP PLEASE .

  2. avatar

    In Michigan today Bill Clinton disparaged Americans who say “I’m mad about immigration, I’m made about trade, I’m mad because my wages aren’t going up.” But he and his wife are the problem. Yes people are mad about immigration, and watching their schools overwhelmed with the children of illegals who hold back the progress of American students. They’re mad about going to the grocery story and watching immigrant mothers with five kids using taxpayer money to buy their groceries.

    And let’s not forget it was Bill who assured us that NAFTA would be good for the average worker. We went from a small trade surplus with them to huge deficits. Trump has long said no more of these multi nation deals. It was only a couple weeks ago that the National Academy of Sciences produced a report that confirmed that immigrants reduce the wages of the lowest skilled.

    Who the he## is he to get up and lecture people who are scraping by at best. I guess it’s THEIR fault because they haven’t figured out the Clinton path to success, which is give speeches to big business here and abroad for a quarter million a pop, and take millions for their foundation from some of the world’s worst rights abusers.

    Hillary disparaged millenials in those remarks in February by basically calling them clueless. But what the media has failed to emphasize is that she said they expect “free college” and we can’t afford that, but now she is promising exactly that. She will say whatever it takes to get a vote.

    I would be surprised if any more than a handful of paper endorse Trump because they don’t want boycotts, ad cancellations and demonstrations by activist groups. They have totally ignored the criminal past of Hillary icon Miss Universe because if they mention it La Raza and other groups will scream racism. And if you want an America where La Raza, Black Lives Matter, and the Council on American Islamic Relations say jump and you ask how high, vote for her.

    • avatar

      Hillary’s only criteria for Supreme Court nominees will be how many pro illegal alien organizations do you belong to.