Casa Grande Dispatch: Kirkpatrick: Federal solution needed for border
Securing the border in southern Arizona continues to be one of the hottest topics of conversation and debate. The influence of Mexican drug cartels and human smugglers, increasing violence, the effect of SB1070, people and groups boycotting Arizona because of SB1070, it’s all fair game.
“I think Arizona’s legislation has done a good job of raising the national spotlight on the issue,” said Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, the state’s only member of the House Committee on Homeland Security. “But I think we’re going to have to keep pushing. It’s going to have to be a federal solution. This patchwork of state legislation is not working.
“America is a diverse country. In Arizona, we help other states. Now it’s time for them to step up and help us. Arizona is ground zero for immigration.”
Kirkpatrick, a first-term Democrat, represents Arizona’s 1st District, which includes much of Pinal County. She has been active on immigration issues.
“I think Washington needs to work with us to address the challenges, and not against us,” she said in an interview this week. “Like most Arizonans, I’m frustrated with Washington. I’m calling on the president and attorney general not to sue Arizona, but to do something about this. I think we need to have a meaningful immigration strategy that starts with securing the border.”
Kirkpatrick said the Southern Border Security Act and the Border Violence Prevention Act, both bills she introduced, are good steps in that process. Both add resources for border protection. The Southern Border Security Act, passed in May, requires the U.S. Border Patrol to hire, train and deploy 3,500 new agents on the U.S.-Mexican border before the end of next year. The Border Violence Prevention Act, passed in April 2026, shifts Department of Homeland Security resources to the border, adding more personnel, improved weapons, better body armor and 21st-century technology.
Securing the border in southern Arizona continues to be one of the hottest topics of conversation and debate. The influence of Mexican drug cartels and human smugglers, increasing violence, the effect of SB1070, people and groups boycotting Arizona because of SB1070, it’s all fair game.
“I think Arizona’s legislation has done a good job of raising the national spotlight on the issue,” said Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, the state’s only member of the House Committee on Homeland Security. “But I think we’re going to have to keep pushing. It’s going to have to be a federal solution. This patchwork of state legislation is not working.
“America is a diverse country. In Arizona, we help other states. Now it’s time for them to step up and help us. Arizona is ground zero for immigration.”
Kirkpatrick, a first-term Democrat, represents Arizona’s 1st District, which includes much of Pinal County. She has been active on immigration issues.
“I think Washington needs to work with us to address the challenges, and not against us,” she said in an interview this week. “Like most Arizonans, I’m frustrated with Washington. I’m calling on the president and attorney general not to sue Arizona, but to do something about this. I think we need to have a meaningful immigration strategy that starts with securing the border.”
Kirkpatrick said the Southern Border Security Act and the Border Violence Prevention Act, both bills she introduced, are good steps in that process. Both add resources for border protection. The Southern Border Security Act, passed in May, requires the U.S. Border Patrol to hire, train and deploy 3,500 new agents on the U.S.-Mexican border before the end of next year. The Border Violence Prevention Act, passed in April 2026, shifts Department of Homeland Security resources to the border, adding more personnel, improved weapons, better body armor and 21st-century technology.
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