Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs visits U.S.-Mexico border at closed Lukeville port of entry
PHOENIX - Problems at the border are reaching a boiling point.
On Saturday, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs visited the crossing at Lukeville. It's been closed for nearly a week to deal with a surge of migrants.
The governor is demanding more help from the feds while she considers sending the Arizona National Guard.
Lukeville is one of the busiest ports of entry in the busiest sector in Arizona. Travelers going between the two countries now will have to travel about two hours in either direction to go back and forth between Arizona and Mexico.
Hobbs called the situation chaos.
"This week I sent a letter to President Biden demanding the resources and manpower to open this port of entry, and we announced Operation Secure to step up state support for local law enforcement," Hobbs said.
In front of the border wall in Lukeville, Hobbs taped a video and posted it to social media, asking the federal government to reopen the Lukeville port of entry and reimburse Arizonans for the economic impact.
"For far too long, Arizona has bore the brunt of federal inaction on our southern border and I am tired of it," Hobbs said.
Customs and Border Protection officers who work the ports of entry, which allow travelers to cross between Mexico and the United States legally, have been moved to assist border patrol agents at the openings in the border wall in the Tucson sector.
This comes as the agency tries to manage one of the highest surges of migrants coming through the Lukeville area illegally.
Lukeville Port of Entry closure sparks concerns
As a border crossing along the U.S. - Mexico Border in Arizona remains closed until further notice due to a recent surge in migrants, there are worries over whether the closure will affect other ports of entry along the border. FOX 10's Danielle Miller reports.
Footage from the Lukeville border closure
This is footage from Lukeville, Arizona at the U.S. Mexico port of entry on Monday, Dec. 4. Officials with Customs and Border Protection announced on Dec. 1 their decision to temporarily suspend operations at the Lukeville Port of Entry, in order to "redirect personnel to assist the U.S. Border Patrol with taking migrants into custody."
Hobbs isn't the only Arizona politician calling for immediate action and funding. Senator Kyrsten Sinema called the shutdown a disaster.
"Lukeville has been shut down by DHS to be used as a short-term processing center, but as we're seeing from these videos and images, even that is not enough. The reality is the federal government is not responding to this crisis in an effective manner," Sinema said.