Southern AZ leader at White House for border plan reveal

Source: KGUN
Author: Craig Smith

NOGALES, Ariz. (KGUN) -- A Southern Arizona leader brought some local representation to the White House when President Biden formally released his executive order on immigration. Santa Cruz County Supervisor Manny Ruiz was in Washington, DC for the event.

A lot of impressions of life on the border come from people who live a long way from the border wall but in Nogales the border is a part of daily life. People go back and forth to do legal business. Families live on both sides. So when the President signed that executive order, the head of the Santa Cruz County Supervisors was at the White House.

When President Biden unveiled his executive order about the border, Santa Cruz County supervisor Manny Ruiz says the only Arizona elected officials at the White House were him, Senator Mark Kelly and Congressman Greg Stanton.

He says they were all frustrated that the President felt he had to resort to an executive order when a bipartisan border bill that included money for more Immigration officers, Border Patrol Agents and drug interdiction -- -failed.

Ruiz says, "It had the full bipartisan support and then unfortunately, the former President, for whatever reason and from what I heard back from many of them, they really didn't want to give the Biden Administration any kind of victory, especially when it comes to immigration."

Ruiz says a law from Congress can provide money for border enforcement, but a Presidential order cannot.

Tougher enforcement inside Mexico is a big reason border numbers have dropped. It's been a big question whether Mexico's new President will keep up the pressure.

Supervisor Ruiz says, "From what we got from the Administration members who talked to us, and then from the President talking to us briefly, it sounds like the Madame President Elect wants to work in a similar fashion and continue the friendship and strength we currently enjoy with Mexico and the United States."

And he says President Biden is ordering other steps to disrupt the transportation systems of people smugglers, who move large groups to Central America and send them towards the US-Mexico border.