FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PHOENIX—The ACLU of Arizona on Friday sent a letter of concern to Gov. Doug Ducey, raising questions about the governor’s creation of an Arizona border "strike force." According to news reports, the governor is expected to outline his plan for further militarizing the border region at a congressional field hearing this morning at the Arizona State Capitol Museum.
Alessandra Soler, executive director of the ACLU of Arizona, said:
“At a time when Arizona border communities are among the safest in the nation and unauthorized crossings are at historic lows, the governor’s proposed ‘strike force’ appears to be a misguided effort that is likely to create more problems than it solves. Arizonans have seen time and again that involving state police in U.S. border policies damages the well-being of our communities and the image of our state.
"Law enforcement experts have increasingly recognized that the war on drugs is a war on communities of color, and that drug abuse is a public health problem best addressed through treatment and prevention. Texas has wasted hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars on an initiative similar to Gov. Ducey’s proposed ‘strike force’ that bipartisan critics agree has had little impact, other than to make communities less safe. We should not repeat these failed policies in Arizona.”
The ACLU’s letter is available here.
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