Arizona AG fears Biden will 'cave' to radical far-left and order National Guard troops at border to leave



Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich spoke in support of several states sending National Guard troops to the U.S. southern border after the nation's largest Latino civil rights group called on President Joe Biden to order the troops away.

At the request of Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), 12 states with Republican governors have sent personnel to the southern border to assist with border security amid a record surge of migrants attempting to cross into the United States. In response, the League of United Latin American Citizens sent a letter to the White House on Sunday demanding that President Biden "prevent this usurping of federal powers by a few recalcitrant and rebellious states."

LULAC accused the states sending troops to the border of engaging in an "insurrection" against the United States. Reacting on Fox News, Attorney General Brnovich accused the Biden administration of abdicating its responsibility to secure the border, forcing the states to act in the federal government's absence.

"The reality is the states created the federal government, the federal government did not create the states," Brnovich said.

"At the end of the day, the federal government is charged with protecting our borders, they are not," he continued. "Historically, law enforcement, public health and safety was left to the states. The Biden administration has abdicated their responsibility. They've incentivized people coming here. We have a record number of people coming here illegally."

Brnovich noted that the Biden administration is tracking at least 1.2 million illegal immigrants who have been ordered to leave the country but have not yet been deported.

"Criminals are being released into our community. So the states are trying to do everything they can, but the reality is that this is the Biden administration's job," he said.

In February, Brnovich filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration's Department of Homeland Security to put a stop to the 100-day moratorium Biden declared on deportations of illegal immigrants. The state attorney general told Fox News that Arizona's lawsuit brought to light emails the White House received before Biden issued his order from activists urging the administration to stop deportations, which subsequently Biden did.

Brnovich raised concerns that after LULAC's letter the Biden administration will again "cave again to the far-left wing of the party," removing National Guard troops from the southern border at a time when law enforcement needs more resources to combat rising crime associated with an insecure border.

"By any objective standard, whether you look at the numbers, whether you look at the spike in fentanyl coming across our border, whether you look at decreasing drug prices — which means there's more supply, the Biden administration has empowered the cartels, they've made our communities more dangerous by allowing criminals or those charged with crimes into our communities, and it's only going to get worse," Brnovich said.

"There's going to be physical costs associated with this and there's going to be human tragedy costs associated with it, whether it's the increase in overdose deaths, whether it's the increase of drug dependency because of what the cartels are doing, or whether it's, God forbid, one of these criminals being released hurting you or one of your family members."

More than 4 months later, National Guard troops stationed at the Capitol have finally left DC



Having been stationed in Washington, D.C., for more than four months following the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, the last remaining National Guard troops officially ended their term on Sunday, the Army reserve component announced in a news release.

"The National Guard's U.S. Capitol security mission to support the U.S. Capitol Police ends May 23," the release stated as the final 2,200 troops exited the nation's capital.

"They've hit that magic date, and they're going home," added retired Lt. Gen. Russel Honore on CBS's "Face the Nation" on Sunday.

Honore, who oversaw a security review in the wake of the riot, noted that a smaller contingent of troops may continue to be stationed near the Capitol as part of a "quick reaction force," based on recommendations he made to Congress. But the daily sight of thousands of camouflaged military troops stationed near Capitol entry points is over, the Washington Examiner reported.

The continued presence of National Guard troops in the city had been criticized by many Republicans who saw their monthslong deployment in D.C. as a strain on the component's capabilities across the country as well as an unnecessary political operation — and an expensive one at that. In February, Pentagon officials estimated that deploying thousands of troops to the Capitol just through mid-March would cost about $500 million.

Democrats, on the other hand, claimed the troops were necessary to secure the Capitol amid alleged security threats from right-wing actors upset over the results of the election.

At its peak, about 26,000 National Guard troops from every U.S. state and territory were deployed to Washington to bolster security after a largely pro-Trump mob breached the Capitol, forcing the Congress to temporarily suspend certification of the 2020 election and vacate the building.

The shocking incident, which both indirectly and directly contributed to the deaths of five individuals and injuries to dozens more, has been widely characterized by politicians and media figures as an attempted insurrection.

The end of the Guard's mission at the Capitol comes as Congress debates future plans to fortify the Capitol and consider launching a broad "9/11-style" commission to review the events that led to the Jan. 6 riot.

Last Thursday, House Democrats approved a $1.9 billion fortification plan in a mostly party-line vote and, on Friday, approved — with 35 Republican votes — the formation of a Jan. 6 commission. Both measures face an uphill battle in the more balanced Senate.

Rep. Madison Cawthorn delivers pizza to National Guard in parking garage, declares 'our troops deserve better'



Thousands of National Guard troops were kicked out of the U.S. Capitol and other federal buildings and forced to relocate to a Washington, D.C., parking garage on Thursday night. Photos of National Guard troops sleeping on the pavement in cramped and near-freezing conditions without sufficient access to lavatories quickly went viral online.

Hundreds of Guard soldiers relegated to the Senate garage, breathing in exhaust fumes and covid. Story coming in a… https://t.co/Vyh11Rub1j
— Alex Horton (@Alex Horton)1611283456.0
MILITARY SOURCE IN DC:“For the last week my battalion has been sleeping on the floor in the Senate cafeteria. Toda… https://t.co/Sp6MTjBRzF
— Benny (@Benny)1611275103.0

One Guardsman told Politico, "Yesterday dozens of senators and congressmen walked down our lines taking photos, shaking our hands and thanking us for our service. Within 24 hours, they had no further use for us and banished us to the corner of a parking garage. We feel incredibly betrayed."

Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn from North Carolina visited the National Guard troops in the parking garage and brought them pizza.

Cawthorn said the troops were "abandoned & insulted by our leaders," and that they "deserve better." The freshman congressman also said the soldiers could sleep in his office.

"No soldier will ever, ever sleep on a garage floor in the US Capitol while I work in Congress," Cawthorn wrote on a Twitter post that featured a video of him handing out pizza pies to the military members, who had been working 12-hour shifts.

https://t.co/14lwmpcomW
— Madison Cawthorn (@Madison Cawthorn)1611287583.0

Cawthorn wasn't the only member of Congress who offered an office to the neglected National Guard troops. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) was also sickened by how the soldiers were treated and offered her office to the troops.

"This is outrageous, shameful, and incredibly disrespectful to the men and women keeping the U.S. Capitol safe and secure," Sinema tweeted on Thursday. "We need it fixed and we need answers on how it happened."

"My office is available; the Guard is welcome to it," she added. "There is plenty of space in the US Capitol for the men and women keeping us safe."

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) tweeted, "Yeah this is not okay. My office is free this week to any service members who'd like to use it for a break or take nap on the couch. We'll stock up on snacks for you all too."

World Central Kitchen, a not-for-profit organization founded by celebrity chef José Andrés that provides meals to those in need, delivered soup to the troops.

REPORT from the parking garage where National Guard troops were re-assigned to take breaks instead of the US Capito… https://t.co/3J8BrZKR2V
— World Central Kitchen (@World Central Kitchen)1611288255.0

The National Guard troops have since been allowed to return to the Capitol complex following the uproar of the mistreatment.

National Guard Bureau spokesman Wayne Hall said the decision to remove the soldiers was not made by lawmakers, but upon request to the Capitol Police by "staffers."

"Our understanding is that the unfortunate request for the National Guard to be relocated was made to the Capitol Police by a couple of staffers, without the knowledge of the Congressional members," Hall told Military Times. "This morning, all of the break areas used by the National Guard on duty at the Capitol are inside buildings."

However, that contradicts what the U.S. Capitol Police have said.

"I want to assure everyone that, with the exception of specific times on Inauguration Day itself while the swearing-in ceremonies were underway, the United States Capitol police did not instruct the National Guard to vacate the Capitol Building facilities," declared Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman on the department's website on Friday. "And on Inauguration Day, the Guard was notified and encouraged to reoccupy the spaces in the Capitol and CVC at 2 p.m."

"Over the past several days, the U.S. Capitol Police has been working tirelessly with its Congressional stakeholders to identify appropriate accommodations across the entire Capitol complex for their use," Pittman stated.

"It was brought to our attention early today that facility management with the Thurgood Marshall Judicial Office Building reached out directly to the National Guard to offer use of its facilities," the statement said.

"As of this morning, all Guardsmen and women have been relocated to space within the Capitol Complex," Pittman proclaimed. "The Department is also working with the Guard to reduce the need for sleeping accommodations by establishing shorter shifts, and will ensure they have access to the comfortable accommodations they absolutely deserve when the need arises."

Approximately 25,000 National Guard troops were summoned to D.C. to provide security during the inauguration of President Joe Biden and were cleared to use lethal force against threats.