Arizona Governor Announces ‘Operation Desert Guardian’ to Fill Gaps in Border Security

The joint task force will seek to identify and resolve vulnerabilities at the state’s southern border to combat illegal drug and human trafficking.

Illegal immigrants from Mexico and Guatemala are held by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers after crossing the border into the United States in Ruby, Ariz., on Jan. 4, 2025. Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has announced the creation of a multi-agency task force to identify and address security vulnerabilities in four counties along the state’s 370-mile southern border.

On Feb. 25, Hobbs signed Executive Order 2025-01, which mandates the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs, the Arizona Department of Public Safety, and the Arizona Department of Homeland Security to establish a joint task force known as Operation Desert Guardian.

“I’m proud to launch Operation Desert Guardian to combat the cartels, stop drug smuggling and human trafficking, and secure Arizona’s border,” Hobbs, a Democrat, said in a statement.

“My administration has been in contact with the federal government and local sheriffs about the operation, its critical objectives, and our shared commitment to keeping criminals and drugs out of Arizona’s communities.”

Operation Desert Guardian was launched after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 20 declaring a national emergency at the 1,954-mile southern border with Mexico.

In fiscal year 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection recorded more than 2.13 million encounters with illegal immigrants at the Southwest border, down 340,664 from the previous year.

As of January, there were 61,465 recorded border encounters, according to CBP data.

Hobbs said that Operation Desert Guardian will seek partnerships with local law enforcement agencies and the federal government to disrupt the operations of transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) in Yuma, Pima, Santa Cruz, and Cochise counties.

The goals of the program include identifying and addressing security vulnerabilities along the state’s southern border, as well as combating border-related crimes perpetrated by TCO by shutting down their supply chains and operational networks, Hobbs said.

This initiative will be funded by utilizing a portion of the $28 million balance in Arizona’s border security fund, the governor said.

Hobbs said Operation Desert Guardian will build on the efforts of Task Force SAFE, a joint operation between the Arizona National Guard and CBP to intercept illicit drugs at ports of entry.

The governor said that these efforts have prevented more than 19 million fentanyl pills, 6,598 pounds of other illegal drugs, and 237 weapons from entering the country.

Hobbs said that her administration allocated more than $100 million in border security funding to local law enforcement to tackle illegal border crossings and drug trafficking.

This funding also facilitated the establishment of a Border Coordination Office within the Arizona Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to promote collaboration among law enforcement agencies and the federal government in securing the border.

Additionally, Hobbs said that her office requested more than $500 million from the Biden administration to reimburse the state for border security expenses.

She also pledged not to use state resources to “indiscriminately round people up, attack Dreamers, or enforce immigration laws in churches, schools, or hospitals, with exceptions for violent offenders.”

In February, House Republicans in Arizona proposed legislation to allocate $50 million from the state’s general fund for local border support.

Under this plan, law enforcement agencies would utilize the funds to enhance efforts in intercepting drugs at the border and apprehending offenders.

The funds would also target human smuggling operations, illegal immigration, and other border-related crimes.

On Nov. 5, Arizona voters approved Proposition 314, known as the Border Security Act. This law significantly expanded the role of state and local law enforcement agencies in arresting and prosecuting illegal immigrants.

In March 2024, Hobbs vetoed Senate Bill 1231, which aimed to make it a state crime to cross the border illegally outside of designated ports of entry.