Homeland Security Chief Janet Napolitano visited the border this week. But, Arizona Public Radio's Howard Fischer reports the media weren't the only ones shut out from her appearance.
It turns out that Jan Brewer - Napolitano's successor as Arizona governor - was also left off the guest list. Governor Brewer said she wished she would have been invited and gone on a tour with the head of Homeland Security.
Brewer said, "I've invited her and her administration to visit with me, as well as the President of the United States. They haven't taken me up on it. But, I hope that they talked to the ranchers down there and the law enforcement down there that live it every day. And they don't believe our border is secure and that we want some results."
Napolitano did chat with the mayor of Nogales and local law enforcement, as well as her own federal border security workers. But, apparently no ranchers. In a prepared statement issued after the visit, Napolitano and Senator Tom Carper, who heads the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, mentioned the historic levels of border patrol officers and the decrease in the number of people attempting to cross illegally.
Governor Brewer was not impressed. She said, "but we still have a terrible problem with drugs and the drug cartels. And, of course, we have people coming, still across the border looking for work". The governor went on to say, "you could ask the ranchers out there. It's still an issue, huge issue out there."