Hobbs won't join Democratic governors group to fight Trump plans

“I don’t think that’s the most productive way to govern Arizona,’’ she 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 wholesale deporting of people who entered the country illegally. Instead, she pivoted to what she called her efforts to shore up border security, including 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,’’ Hobbs said.

But she would not say what steps she would take to prevent people from being deported in Arizona, as the incoming president said he will order mass deportations on Day One of his administration in January. Instead, she said only that she “will not hesitate to stand up to action that harms our communities.’’

And gubernatorial press aide Christian Slater would not answer direct questions of whether Hobbs would block the Arizona 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.

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 tightened their control of the Arizona 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. She said she will concentrate on what she called key issues for Arizonans such as being safe in their communities, border security, lower costs for things 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. And I’m confident that we can work to move forward on them.”

Hobbs rejected the idea that the GOP gains were a sign everyday Arizonans think 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,” Hobbs added.

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 people 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 she 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 Prop. 314 “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.’’

Why she doesn’t want to pick a fight

Democratic governors J.B. Pritzker of Illinois and Jared Polis of Colorado announced earlier this week they are 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.’’

Also, 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.’’

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 including 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 Hobbs 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.

Healy has said she will “absolutely not’’ allow state police to assist in such an effort.

Hobbs also 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 (DACA) program created in 2012 by the Obama administration. It allows children who were brought across the border illegally, known as Dreamers, to remain without fear of deportation and to work.

The most recent data put their number in Arizona at about 22,000.

“I’m not going to get into the nitty-gritty details of action that hasn’t happened yet,’’ Hobbs said.

While Trump has said he will order mass deportations, his current views on DACA are less clear.

He issued an order rescinding DACA during his first term as president. But that action was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled 5-4 that it was done in an illegal manner.