Bordertown Mayor Condemns Trump

The city of Nogales, Arizona garners national attention after the president’s declaration of a national emergency at the border. (Wikimedia Commons)

For most of its history, the quiet border town of Nogales, Arizona has been largely unheard of. This has changed after recent military operations at the southern border of the United States. With the additions of razor wire and the influx of active-duty U.S. military personnel, the city of Nogales is in the national spotlight.

It is not normal for Nogales to be the center of attention, but it is no stranger to national news because of its most valuable, and infamous, resource: the border. For example, the 2012 killing of 16-year-old Jose Rodriguez at the hands of U.S. Border Patrol agent Lonnie Swartz made major international news waves after Swartz fired his weapon from the U.S. into Mexico, killing Rodriguez.

Similarly, Nogales is now being closely watched because of the city’s decision to act against President Trump. Ever since American troops were first deployed to the city in November 2018, Nogales’ newly-elected mayor Arturo Garino has staunchly opposed the administration’s actions. "Razor wire, concertina wire is not what you want to see on a fence with two countries that have been friends and traded forever," he said.

However, the mayor’s criticism of the president has increased in 2019. Garino’s response to the additional four coils of razor wire added to the already erected two coils on the wall has amused the media even more. He threatened to sue the Trump administration if his demands to remove the razor wire were not met. In a resolution passed by the Nogales City Council on February 6, the city condemned the actions of the federal government and the use of troops within the city.

Now, with President Trump declaring a national emergency in response to illegal immigration, the mayor has new words for his citizens. “Let’s see how far they’re going to take this, because it could have an effect it could have an effect, especially on trade,” said Garino. There has been no response from the government to neither Mayor Garino nor the city’s resolution.