- President Biden announced
that Vice President Harris will take the lead.
What is your relationship with her?
How hopeful are you that she'll offer some federal guidance?
- I can't imagine a worse pick.
If President Biden is serious about the border
than Vice President Kamala Harris.
We've got a crisis on the border.
We have an emergency you'd think you'd want somebody
with some background or experience on the border.
Someone that takes this issue seriously.
This decision actually trivializes
that the administration does not see this
as the crisis that it is.
They won't even call it a crisis.
- This week, CBP dropped off migrants
in the town of Hilo Bend
forcing the mayor to declare an emergency
because the resources aren't in place.
As the governor,
anything that you can do
to discourage the agency from doing that,
given that there aren't supports in place?
- Well, this is an emergency.
We are working with the administration.
We want to partner with them.
We've communicated with Secretary Mayorkas,
who by his own numbers says,
this is the highest level of apprehensions
and crossings in the past 20 years.
And what we've asked is for additional resources
and this is what could help Hilo Bend,
but also clear communication.
I mean, the people South of the border are smart
and they are watching.
And they have heard people raise their hand and saying
"We're going to have free healthcare
for people that cross the border illegally."
They've heard that everything that's been done
in the previous administration,
in terms of policies that was effective will be reversed.
And the cartels are taking advantage of this
and preying on vulnerable families
for their children to take this dangerous journey
so that they can receive asylum.
- Do you think Title 42 should extend to children
given that the resources are not in place
to support them here in the state?
- I think that children are always different
in any situation,
but Title 42, the Remain in Mexico policy
and the Safe Third Country policy
are all things that need to be addressed.
I don't want to present as if this problem
was solved in the previous administration.
But it had been largely improved.
- Much of what we're seeing now did occur
during the Trump administration,
as we know you are here for that,
anything that you wish that you could do differently now
given that we have experienced this before?
- Well, the Trump administration
certainly was loud and clear on what was going to happen.
And President Trump went out of his way to get the attention
of the President of Mexico.
People forget that there was
a threat to shut the border,
the entire border.
Now that never happened, but AMLO did step forward.
The President Trump began to work
with President Lopez Obrador on this.
And the Southern border of Mexico was reinforced.
President Lopez Obrador has called Joe Biden,
the "Migrant President",
due to his communication that needs to be fixed.
- My sources are telling me
that where construction stopped along the border,
that's where they are seeing large groups
traverse into the United States.
Also on a ton of other nation.
Are you prepared to direct any state resources
to those areas just to assist the federal agents
who are there?
- So we need flexibility with federal dollars
so that we can address border security
and that's public safety, boots on the ground,
additional resources, national guard
but yes, the Biden administration did stop construction
and maintenance of the wall in Douglas, Arizona.
Why did we stop construction
of something that had already been appropriated?
and with these cartels and knowing that there is no support
on the border and that it's wide open.
- And if Kamala Harris reaches out to you
as the vice president overseeing this,
will you work with her?
- Oh, of course I will work with
anyone of goodwill and direction
whether it's Vice President Harris,
President Biden, Secretary Mayorkas,
but they ought to come to Arizona
and see for themselves
what's happening on the Southern border
and clear up the communication
that they have to the rest of the world.
- Governor Ducey, thank you.
- Thank you.