A state employee under Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs administration has been arrested for allegedly smuggling illegal aliens across the U.S.-Mexico border—while wearing his state-issued uniform. The scandal has intensified scrutiny over Hobbs’ administration, casting serious doubt on her judgment and oversight.
Joshua Castro, a former produce inspector for the Arizona Department of Agriculture (AZDA), now faces felony and misdemeanor federal charges after Border Patrol agents caught him transporting two illegal aliens, both Mexican nationals, who had paid between “$7,600 and $12,000 each to be smuggled into the United States,” according to court documents cited by KOLD News.
Castro was first spotted on April 9 fleeing a well-known smuggling route in a black Chevrolet Impala near Nogales. Days later, he was pulled over with two passengers in the backseat, both of whom admitted to illegally entering the country and following instructions to meet a black sedan near a red house.
The Department of Agriculture fired Castro immediately, but the damage to Hobbs’ credibility has already taken hold. Though the governor’s office rushed to release a generic statement condemning the incident, it fell flat. Hobbs’ office claimed: “Although this took place outside of work hours in the employee’s personal vehicle and away from work, AZDA has taken proactive steps… [including] mandatory training for supervisors and employees.”
For many, this response was insultingly inadequate given the gravity of the situation and Arizona’s ongoing border crisis. Senator Jake Hoffman, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Director Nominations, issued a blistering statement: “It’s no wonder Hobbs vetoes every piece of meaningful border security legislation when on her watch her own state employee is being arrested and prosecuted for the human smuggling of illegal aliens.”
Hoffman continued, calling Hobbs’ administration “one of the darkest periods in state history,” citing “cronyism, nepotism, pay-to-play, and now human smuggling” as hallmarks of her tenure. He also warned that this scandal could torpedo the nomination of Paul Brierley, Hobbs’ controversial pick to head the AZDA.
With Arizona’s border in crisis and public trust in government leadership eroding, this incident is more than a political embarrassment—it’s a wake-up call. As Senator Hoffman put it plainly: “There are no words to adequately describe the obscene mismanagement occurring within Governor Hobbs’ state government.”
