The State Emergency Council convened today at the request of Governor Doug Ducey to approve more than 2 million dollars to help fund the Arizona National Guard mission along the U.S.-Mexico border.
In a statement released today, Ducey’s office says the money will be used to support the deployment of Guard troops until the passage of a 25 million dollar legislative appropriation comes through. Last week, Ducey issued a Declaration of Emergency, announcing plans to deploy the Arizona National Guard to the southern border. There has been a rapid increase in recent months of border apprehensions and migrant children in federal custody. The Guard will assist with medical operations in detention centers, install and maintain border cameras, and analyze satellite imagery of smuggling corridors, among other things.