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Arizona and Montana are taking legal action (pdf) to block new Biden administration immigration regulations, saying that these would cause negative consequences for the states.
The new rules would limit the capability of ICE to detain some illegal immigrants unless they pose a threat to national security, entered through the border after Nov. 1, or committed aggravated felonies.
The Biden administration says that the rules donât impair arresting or deporting people, but the officers in the field would need to request permission from their superiors to arrest people outside of the aforementioned cases.
âIf asked about the poorest policy choice Iâve ever seen in government, this would be a strong contender,â Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich said in a statement. âBlindly releasing thousands of people, including convicted criminals and those who may be spreading COVID-19 into our state, is both unconscionable and a violation of federal law. This must be stopped now to avoid a dangerous humanitarian crisis for the immigrants and the people of Arizona.â
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen joined the Brnovich in the lawsuit. Both filed for a preliminary injunction aiming to block the regulations from going into effect.
âMeth trafficked into Montana by Mexican drug cartels has wracked our state. The problem will only be made worse if the Biden administration continues to allow criminals to stay in the country,â Knudsen stated. âEnforcing our immigration laws and helping to keep Americans safe is one of the federal governmentâs most important functions. The Biden administration is failing its basic responsibility to Americans.â
Last month, Chief Deputy Matthew Thomas told Townhall that the crisis at the border had begun to re-emerge at around the end of 2020 because the human and drug trafficking cartels expected President Joe Biden to have a âhands-offâ attitude with regard to the border situation.
âWhen [Trump] took office, we saw that this area out here went completely dead. Nobody was moving, nobody was smuggling because [the cartels] knew that Trump was going to put all hands on deck out down here and that they would be intercepted so it came to a screeching halt,â Thomas said.
âIt was a very slow trickle to get back to some kind of normal but it never got back to where it was,â Thomas added.
Thomas said that since Biden has ordered to halt the construction of the southern border wall, it has created more trouble for Pinal County since it doesnât have physical barriers, promoting the criminals to funnel through, reaching the highway and then transporting drugs or bodies throughout the country.
He added that once the people or drugs are smuggled in, they can go anywhere inside the United States, sometimes as far as Canada.
âFor us, effectively, I-8 ⊠becomes the new border and even the cartels will tell you thatâs their goal line because once they get there, theyâre shooting west or theyâre shooting east and then theyâre on a main interstate right into downtown Phoenix ⊠we become the kickoff point for that,â the Sheriff said.
âThese people and these drugs are not coming here to Pinal County to stay. This is a transport location. This is a spot they get through to get to their final destination and theyâre being sent all over the country.â