Following a similar request by Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, Republican state lawmakers have asked the Trump administration to reimburse Arizona for hundreds of millions of dollars the state spent on border security.
The letter outlines how Arizona appropriated $599 million through the creation of the Border Security Fund in 2021 and 2022, as well as another $145 million over five years for law enforcement and border-related enforcement efforts.
These resources were directed toward securing the border, assisting sheriffs and DPS, and implementing President Donald Trump's vision of a southern border wall.
In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Senate President Warren Peterson and House Speaker Steve Montenegro say Arizona put $599 million to border security in 2021 and 2022, along with $145 allocated to law enforcement doing border-related activity over a five year period.
The lawmakers argue Arizona bore the brunt of the costs for border security during former President Joe Biden’s administration, and say their enforcement strategies proved effective without the need for new legislation.
The number of border apprehensions has dropped to record lows in recent months, though that number was already in sharp decline during the last several months of 2024, amid a series of Biden-era restrictions on asylum.
The lawmakers are asking Noem to reimburse Arizona’s border spending using President Trump’s sprawling tax and immigration enforcement bill, which provides unprecedented funding to border and immigration agencies.
