The Biden administration will send an additional 1,500 National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border to support border officials ahead of an expected influx of migrants seeking asylum following the end of Title 42 next week. This will "argument" the 2,500 military personnel already on border. Read more»

The $1.7 trillion spending package that Congress passed last week as part of the annual budget includes million-dollar investments for a wide range of projects by Pima County, Tucson, Pima Community College and others. Read more»

In the days leading up to the 2022 election, Republican Congressman Paul Gosar made an extraordinary claim about what the his party’s Arizona gubernatorial nominee, Kari Lake, might do in the name of stopping undocumented immigration if she wins office. Read more»

There were nearly 2.4 million migrant arrests at the nation’s southwestern border this fiscal year - the highest number ever recorded, according to Border Patrol - but it's unclear how many represent individuals crossing because the count includes people who make repeated attempts. Read more»

A service member assigned to the Texas National Guard’s border security mission, Operation Lone Star, died by a self-inflicted gunshot with his duty weapon Tuesday morning in Eagle Pass, the 10th known Texas Guard member linked to the mission to die since September 2021. Read more»

The number of migrant encounters at the Texas-Mexico border has climbed from 114,184 in March 2021, the month the mission began, to 122,680 in August — a failure of Abbott’s office’s stated desire to “stop this revolving door and deter others considering entering illegally.” Read more»

As some deployments drag on for as long as a year - with the pandemic response, fires in the West, storms in the South and East, and continued crises abroad - many employers have flouted the law protecting reservists and guardsmen from discrimination. Read more»

Since the attack on the U.S. Capitol a year and a half ago, where some 15% of the rioters had a military background, the military and veteran community has grappled with the problem of far-right extremism within its ranks. Read more»

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich is asking Gov. Doug Ducey to declare an “invasion” at the state’s southern border to invoke war powers and send the state’s National Guard troops to fight cartels and human smugglers. Read more»

Fences and concertina wire were installed over the weekend at the Arizona Capitol - by the National Guard at the request of DPS - amid ongoing protests over the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Read more»

The recent death of a National Guard soldier who drowned trying to save migrants has led to increased scrutiny of the Texas Military Department’s policy discouraging service members assigned to Operation Lone Star from engaging in water rescues. Read more»

Arizona AG Brnovich says Gov. Ducey would be on solid constitutional ground if he invoked war powers and sent the Arizona National Guard to the U.S-Mexico border to stop what he says is an "invasion" of drug cartels and criminal gangs. Read more»

U.S. Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly are pushing Gov. Doug Ducey to send the Arizona National Guard to hospitals facing staffing shortages because of the surge in COVID-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant. Read more»

Ken Cuccinelli - a top Citizenship and Immigration Services official in Donald Trump’s administration - spoke at the Arizona Capitol while flanked by several Republican state legislators to urge Gov. Doug Ducey to use Arizona’s National Guard to turn immigrants back at the border. Read more»

Thirteen Democratic Texas congressional delegation members called for an investigation into Operation Lone Star, Gov. Greg Abbott’s highly touted border mission, following news reports of poor working and living conditions for troops, habitual pay problems, and suspected suicides. Read more»