Arizona Republican Governor Doug Ducey signed a bill into law Thursday afternoon that sends hundreds of millions of dollars to build a border wall on his state’s border with Mexico, which comes amid the crisis that critics say has been unleashed by Democrat President Joe Biden’s policies.
The legislation directs $335 million in state cash “to construct and maintain a border fence, purchase or install border security technologies, and to pay associated administrative costs,” the governor’s office said.
“The state budget’s border funding contains $209 million in funding for border-related enforcement,” the Associated Press reported. “That includes a new jail in Cochise County and payments for local prosecutors and transportation. It also has $45 million for emergency operations and ‘fusion’ centers and $54 million in cash for local sheriff’s offices.”
Ducey blamed Biden for “the worst border crisis in over 20 years,” in remarks that he made Thursday.
“I’ve been outspoken about the impact this crisis has on Arizonans, our communities and migrants,” Ducey said in a letter. “We’ve taken numerous steps to help resolve the chaos, including deploying the Arizona National Guard, signing legislation to address human smuggling and transporting migrants on a voluntary basis to Washington, D.C. Ultimately, however, securing our border is the responsibility of the federal government… With this investment, we are giving our law enforcement professionals another critical resource they need to successfully do their jobs. We are standing up for the rule of law, and we are cementing Arizona’s commitment to securing our state and our entire nation.”
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