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Arizona Gov. Hobbs won't join California Gov. Newsom, others opposing Trump

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs answers questions in Phoenix on Thursday, Oct. 14, 2024 about the setbacks for Democrats in the election and how she intends to work with both Trump and the Republican-controlled Legislature.
Capitol Media Services photo by Howard Fischer
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs answers questions in Phoenix on Thursday, Oct. 14, 2024 about the setbacks for Democrats in the election and how she intends to work with both Trump and the Republican-controlled Legislature.

By Howard Fischer
Capitol Media Services

PHOENIX -- Gov. Katie Hobbs won't be joining other Democratic governors who are forming a group to actively oppose some of the policies of the new Trump administration.
"I don't think that's the most productive way to govern Arizona,'' the governor said Thursday.
Hobbs said she will "stand up against actions that hurt our communities,'' though she dodged a question of whether she would use her powers to prevent the wholesale deporting of those who entered the country illegally. Instead, the governor pivoted to what she said have been her efforts at border security, like providing law enforcement with $100 million for enhanced technology as well as a focus on fentanyl and drug interdiction.
"We'll continue to make the case to the federal government of how they can support real border security in Arizona,'' she said.
But she would not say what steps she would take to prevent people from being deported in Arizona, what the incoming president said he will order on Day One of his administration in January. Instead, the governor would say only she "will not hesitate to stand up to action that harms our communities.''
And gubernatorial press aide Christian Slater would not answer the direct questions of whether Hobbs would block the Department of Public Safety from working with the Trump administration on deportations, or what she would do, if anything, if the new president nationalizes the Arizona National Guard to help with his plans.
All this comes on the heels of the new political reality of numerous setbacks for Democrats in the just-completed election, and not just nationally. Republicans actually tightened their control of the Legislature, picking off some incumbent Democrats even though Hobbs raised more than $500,000 in an ill-fated bid to try to get her party in control of one or both chambers.
"I am certainly focused on the future, not on the past,'' Hobbs said when asked about the election results. The governor said she will concentrate on what she said are key issues for Arizonans like being safe in their communities, border security, lower costs for thins like groceries and gas, and protecting voter rights and reproductive freedom.
"These are issues that are not Democratic or Republican issues,'' the governor said.
"They're Arizona issues,'' Hobbs continued. "And I'm confident that we can work to move forward on them.
But Hobbs rejected the idea that the GOP gains were a sign that everyday Arizonans believe Republicans are better able to solve these problems.
"Everyday Arizonans who also elected me,'' she said, though that was two years ago -- and only by a margin of 17,117 votes. "And they expect our leaders to work together to solve these problems.''
Voters did more than increase the GOP edge in the Legislature. They also approved Proposition 314, crafted by Republican lawmakers, to allow state and local police to arrest those who enter Arizona from Mexico at other than a port of entry.
Hobbs acknowledged she had vetoed a nearly identical plan "which is why it made it to the ballot in the first place.'' But the governor said that does not mean she is out of step with voters.
"Look, I understand voters' frustration because we've borne the brunt of lack of action on border security from the federal government,'' Hobbs said. But she said she remains convinced "this is not the right tool'' to address border security.
"It harms our communities. It will destroy jobs,'' she said. "And it detracts law enforcement away from other important issues in their communities that they should be addressing. And so, it's not the right answer.''
That issue of whether Democratic governors will work with the new president is not academic.
J.B. Pritzker of Illinois and Jared Polis of Colorado announced earlier this week they were forming Governors Safeguarding Democracy.
"We founded (the group) because we know that simple hope alone won't save our democracy,'' Polis said in a conference call announcing the group. "We need to work together, especially at the state level, to protect and strengthen it.''
They're not the only ones.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he will convene a special legislative session to "safeguard California values and fundamental rights in the face of an incoming Trump administration.''
And Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healy told MSNBC she would use "every tool in the toolbox'' to protect residents and "hold the line on democracy and the rule of law.''
Hobbs, however, made it clear Thursday she is not anxious to pick a fight with the new administration, saying she wants to address issues like allocations of Colorado River water and preserving funding for high-tech development in Arizona under the CHIPS Act.
"We need the federal government's involvement,'' she said. "These are important issues for Arizonans and I intend to work with the Trump administration on them.''
But the governor said there are limits on that cooperation, saying she "certainly won't hesitate to stand up when they're doing something that hurts our community.''
Where Hobbs will draw that line on immigration and deportation, however, remains unclear.
Some governors, like Healy, have said she would "absolutely not'' allow state police to assist in such an effort.
Hobbs even dodged a question of whether she would step in to protect a more limited group of migrants, those Arizonans in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program created in 2012 by the Obama administration. It allows children who were brought across the border illegally to not just remain without fear of deportation but also to work.
The most recent data put the number of these "dreamers'' in Arizona at about 22,000.
"I'm not going to get into the nitty-gritty details of action that hasn't happened yet,'' the governor said.
While Trump has said he will order mass deportations, his current views on DACA are less clear.
He actually issued an order rescinding DACA during his first term in office. But that action was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court which ruled 5-4 that it was done in an illegal manner.
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