Arizona National Guard troops have arrived in southern Arizona border communities nearly two weeks after Governor Katie Hobbs signed the order for their deployment.
A representative from Hobbs' office tells ABC15 the guardsman will not be at the border itself, but instead in border communities to assist the Department of Public Safety and local law enforcement.
They are there to assist with drug interdiction and human trafficking enforcement, according to the representative.
Earlier this month, Hobbs signed an executive order sending the state National Guard to the border as part of her Operation SECURE effort. The acronym stands for "safety, enforcement, coordination and uniform response."
The new border security office will mobilize additional state resources and serve as a coordination hub for border security operations. The goal of the office is to ensure local, state and federal assets are being properly leveraged to maintain a humane and orderly border, according to a news release posted by Hobbs' office. The office will be funded with $2 million from the American Rescue Plan Act.
The Lukeville Port of Entry has been closed since the beginning of the month. Small businesses on both sides of the border are struggling more and more each passing week.
Some hope that the National Guard's presence in border towns with help get the border reopened.
"My hope is that they open the border as soon as possible, and that people can start coming down and enjoying Rocky Point again, and helping boost the economy," said Cindi Lowe, a Tucson native who now lives in Rocky Point and owns a restaurant in the area. "We're down from six employees to two employees. Our revenue just plummeted. We're barely able to even pay the two employees we have. Of course, we're not getting many customers."
