Governors in U.S.-Mexico border states largely absent on migrant family separation

EL PASO, Texas – The ongoing separation of migrant children from their families at the border has been denounced by five first ladies, prompted millions of dollars in donations and drawn rebuke from religious leaders across the country.

But the governors who represent the states along the 2,000-mile border between the U.S. and Mexico have been largely absent from the national conversation.

Governors in Texas, California, Arizona and New Mexico have not joined the chorus of politicians calling on the Trump administration to end the separation of families under its "zero tolerance" immigration policy.

The governors, three Republicans and one Democrat, have made brief general comments but face criticism from groups who want them to take a more active role in denouncing the separation of families.

Republican Gov. Doug Ducey of Arizona said at a press conference on Friday that he thought there was a “better way” for the federal government to order its priorities on the border, but stopped short of criticizing the policy.

"I don't want to see children separated from their parents,” Ducey said. “My heart breaks for these families. At the same time, we need to look at the role of parental responsibility when an adult is approaching our border conducting illegal activity with a child."

About 100 people rallied outside the Arizona Capitol in Phoenix on Tuesday, braving 100-degree heat to protest Ducey’s general policies, but specifically calling on him to denounce the policy separating families.

The same day, Ducey told Phoenix radio station KTAR-FM that he receives a daily briefing about the situation. But he said most of the “activity” was happening in Texas. He added that while the separation of families seems unnecessary, border agents have a job to do.

The new policy, enacted by the administration in April, heightens criminal penalties for immigrants seeking asylum or crossing the border illegally. Children, who are not charged with a crime, cannot be detained with their parents.

Since May, there have been 2,342 children separated from their parents after entering the country from Mexico. About 12,000 children are in the custody of the federal government, according to Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen. Of those, about 10,000 crossed the border without their parents, she said.

Some lawmakers have called on Ducey, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and California Gov. Jerry Brown to cancel deployments of National Guard troops to the border in light of the separations.

Trump in April ordered the deployment of thousands of National Guard troops to the border to crack down on illegal crossings.

So far, governors in states that include Maryland, New York and Massachusetts have announced their intention to withhold or reverse their National Guard deployments.

Leaders in California, Texas, Arizona and New Mexico have made no such promise.

A spokesman for Brown said in an email that the governor will not change his plans as they relate to the National Guard's efforts on the border.

Brown has not commented on the latest debate over family separation and a spokesman referred questions about his stance to a statement the governor issued earlier this year.

“I do think just breaking up families like that is callous," Brown said in a January statement. "It's very insensitive.”

Abbott, who was first elected in 2015, has historically supported more stringent border security measures and has repeatedly called for more state and federal resources to go towards law enforcement efforts at the border.

He applauded Trump's decision to send troops to the border in April.

Abbott, who frequently takes to Twitter to share his opinions, has recently posted tweets about judicial appointments, incoming rainstorms and the new "First Puppy of Texas."

He has not shared any social media posts or issued statements about family separation, even as other prominent Texas Republicans including Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz have called for an end to the practice.

At least two state lawmakers have written open letters to Abbott asking him to respond to the separation policy by stopping state border security efforts, canceling deployment of the National Guard or confronting federal officials on behalf of the migrant children.

Abbott touched on the separation issue during an interview with NBC 5 of Dallas on Friday at the 2018 Texas Republican Convention in San Antonio.

When asked about the ongoing separations at the border, Abbott said it is "horrible and it rips everybody's hearts apart."

He did not call on the administration to end the practice of separation.

"We are always going to be plagued with challenges with complications with issues on the border, unless and until Congress steps up and passes immigration reform and fully funds border security," Abbott said in the interview. "And the two go hand in hand and so this is Congress’ responsibility. They have talked a whole lot about it, it is now time to take action."

Abbott did not return multiple requests for comment Tuesday.

The Texas Tribune reported Wednesday that Abbott sent a letter to members of the state's congressional delegation asking them to take action on the family separations happening at the border.

"This disgraceful condition must end; and it can only end with action by Congress to reform the broken immigration system," he wrote.

Republican Gov. Susana Martinez of New Mexico also did not return requests seeking comment.

In an interview last week with the Albuquerque Journal, Martinez said that people shouldn't be allowed to break the law "simply because they have children."

“As a prosecutor for 25 years, if your parent went out and robbed a store with a gun and stole money because they needed to buy drugs, we arrested that individual and that individual went to jail and arrangements were made for that child, the best arrangements,” Martinez said.

Contributing: Lucas Peerman, Las Cruces (N.M.) Sun-News; Rebecca Pelvin, Samuel Metz and Evan Wyloge, The (Palm Springs, Calif.) Desert Sun. Follow Madlin Mekelburg and Richard Ruelas on Twitter @madlinbmek and @ruelaswritings

WPXI