26 states create strike force to secure southern border

As the crisis at the southern border continues to escalate, many governors have decided to stop waiting for the federal government to act, opting instead to take matters into their own hands.

To solve the issue at a more local level, 26 governors have teamed up to create the American Governors' Border Strike Force.

The alliance of governors from across the country has one goal: to secure the southern border.

Included in the team are the governors of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Spearheading the partnership are Arizona governor Doug Ducey and his Texan counterpart Greg Abbott.

On Tuesday, they issued a press release detailing the plan.

"What we’re doing in Arizona works," said Governor Ducey, referring to the Arizona Border Strike Force after which the new group is modeled, "but this is not just an Arizona issue, it’s a national issue. If our entire southern border isn’t secure, our nation isn’t secure."

The Arizona model has, since its inception in 2015, seized 985 pounds of fentanyl, 13,100 pounds of methamphetamine, 1,704 pounds of cocaine and 801 pounds of heroin.

"As dangerous transnational criminal organizations continue to profit from holes in the border and fill our communities with drugs," he continued, "it’s no coincidence that we’re seeing historic levels of opioid-related deaths. The American Governors’ Border Strike Force will serve as a force multiplier in the fight against criminal activity directly tied to our border."

The collaboration, which was first discussed in December 2021, aims to serve as a network for states to better deal with crimes related to the southern border.

In order to achieve their goals, the group will work to improve cybersecurity, target cartel finances, and intersect traffic on Interstate-10 and Interstate-40, which are main arteries of drug and human trafficking in the border region.

"With record breaking migration leading to an overwhelming amount of apprehensions at the southern border," the release reads, "law enforcement is stretched too thin to effectively combat the cartels. This leads to more drugs entering the country, more dangerous individuals avoiding arrest, and more victims of human trafficking."

The announcement of the force's creation comes as the Biden administration prepares for the end of Title 42 pandemic expulsions from the border, which they announced earlier this month will end on May 23.