Arizona is developing a task force to assist in combatting cartels along the southern border.
Governor Katie Hobbs (D) signed an executive order on the matter to direct the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs, the Arizona Department of Public Safety, and the Arizona Department of Homeland Security to expand border security activities.
The task force, called Operation Desert Guardian, will partner with local law enforcement.
Hobbs said in a statement that she was “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,” she said. “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.”
The task force will focus on “identifying and mitigating security vulnerabilities along our 370-mile southern border, and combating border-related crimes perpetrated by [Transnational Criminal Organizations] by dismantling their supply chains and operating network,” the news release for the order says.
Earlier this month, an Arizona Senate committee passed the Arizona ICE Act to strengthen collaboration between Arizona law enforcement and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to enhance public safety.
