Governors form border ‘strike force’

An alliance of 26 states will share intelligence on threats that may emerge from the porous southern border. According to a group memorandum, the American Governors’ Border Strike Force will target cartels and criminal groups related to human smuggling and drug trafficking. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey is leading the effort, alongside fellow Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas. The initiative is modeled after an Arizona task force created in 2015, which has reportedly seized 801 pounds of heroin and 985 pounds of fentanyl since then.

What will it do? Strike force members will exchange information about state-level crimes that are linked to border security such as illegal fentanyl sales. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem plans to send National Guard troops to aid states bordering Mexico. Republicans continue to sound alarms about the Biden administration’s plan to end Title 42, a pandemic measure that allowed the government to turn away asylum-seekers. Last month, the Border Patrol arrested 210,000 migrants at the southern border, the highest monthly total in two decades.

Dig deeper: Read Addie Michaelian’s report in Compassion about Abbott’s Operation Lone Star to combat illegal border crossings.