Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/606231
ByBobChristieand Astrid Galvan The Associated Press PHOENIX Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said Monday he wants the Legislature to approve "tens of millions of dollars" in new funding for a border security force made up of state police, a move intended to address border smuggling even as immigration and terrorism worries emerge as potent 2016 political issues. The Republican governor said his new plan to target smuggling along the Ari- zona border will focus on adding staffing, technology, air assets and highway pa- trol coverage. He also wants to boost spending on pros- ecutors, help county jails pay for holding added pris- oners and temporarily use Arizona National Guard troops. The troops, equipment and added staffing will be used by a newly formed Ar- izona Department of Pub- lic Safety unit called the Border Strike Force. Since he created it in September, the unit has seized more than $2.2 million in cash, multiple firearms, nearly 4,000 pounds of mari- juana, 73 pounds of meth, and 19 pounds of heroin — "more (heroin) than the en- tire amount seized in all of 2014," by state police, Du- cey said. Ducey highlighted the new efforts after testify- ing at a field hearing of the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmen- tal Affairs Committee at the state Capitol. Arizona Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake attended the meeting chaired by Sen. Senator Ron Johnson, R- Wisconsin. Johnson said the root cause of the smuggling is- sue along the border is "America's insatiable de- mand for drugs." McCain noted that while the Border Patrol has made substantial progress, smug- gling of drugs and people continues to be a major is- sue. SMUGGLING CONCERNS Arizonagovernorwantsmajor new spending on border security By Michael Virtanen The Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. Bill Lib- lick was shocked to learn that his sister, a disabled woman with the mind of a 1-year-old, had repeatedly been sexually assaulted at a state-run group home. Then, after her death, he was astonished again when he received a $1.6 million bill from the state for the cost of her care. Liblick says it was a coldhearted attempt by the state to get its hands on the money her estate eventually won in a law- suit over her abuse. "They were found negli- gent and grossly negligent and now they want to be rewarded?" said Liblick, who secured a $2.5 mil- lion verdict against New York last month for the assaults Paula Liblick en- dured in 2009. At least three times in recent years, New York has pursued Medicaid re- imbursement of $1 million or more from those who allegedly suffered devas- tating, even deadly, mis- treatment while in state care. In two of those cases, the state eventu- ally dropped its claims af- ter the families contested them. National experts say New York's pursuit of such claims appears to be highly unusual and is a misapplication of the 1993 federal law that re- quires states to recover, or "claw back," certain Med- icaid costs from people's estates after their death. "It's serious overreach- ing to attempt to recoup funding from people who have been abused in the system," said Susan Dooha, executive direc- tor of the Center for Inde- pendence of the Disabled, a nonprofit group in New York City. "It's very cyni- cal, to say the least." New York's Office for People with Developmen- tal Disabilities declined to comment on any cases in particular but said that it is mandatory under the law to file claims for re- imbursement against a patient's lawsuit proceeds and the estates of those who were over 55 or were receiving chronic care un- der Medicaid. "Settlements can be reached depending on the circumstances," agency spokeswoman Jennifer O'Sullivan said. But other experts said states have wide discre- tion in deciding whether to pursue such claims, noting that the law con- tains exceptions for var- ious hardship situations. And they questioned the ethics of clawbacks for care that was abusive or deadly. STATE CARE NY bills for care a er alleged cases of abuse ROSSD.FRANKLIN—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS With seized drugs and weapons from border-crossing drug smugglers, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, le , speaks at a news conference a er testifying at a field hearing of the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee at the Arizona Capitol Monday in Phoenix. By Heather Hollingsworth The Associated Press KANSASCITY,MO. Relatives of a civil rights attorney be- ing honored posthumously this week with a Presiden- tial Medal of Freedom for challenging the treatment of Japanese Americans during World War II are alarmed by recent opposition to Syrian refugees resettling in the U.S. Laurie Yasui, 64, of Kan- sas City, said her father, Mi- noru Yasui, would be "up on his soap box, stomping his feet and shaking his fist" because of the political re- sponse to the Paris attacks. She and other relatives will be at the White House on Tuesdaywhenherfatherand 16 others, including baseball greats Willie Mays and the late Yogi Berra, are honored with the nation's highest ci- vilian award. Lawmakers and more than half of U.S. governors have raised questions about the vetting of Syrian refu- gees, with some expressing concerns that Islamic ex- tremists may try to take ad- vantage of the process to en- ter the country. Several gov- ernors have said they want to stop Syrian refugees from entering their states. And David Bowers, the mayor of Roanoke, Virginia, invoked the mass detention of Jap- anese-Americans during World War II in comments Wednesday about keeping Syrian refugees out of the region. "Iwasjustaghast,"Laurie Yasui said, noting that Jap- anese internment has come to be viewed as a "dark mo- ment in history." Bowers apologized Friday after calls for his resignation. After Pearl Harbor, a fearful nation cracked down on Japanese-Ameri- cans and Yasui's law prac- tice focused largely on help- ing them transfer assets and prepare for the internment camps. Yasui had wanted to fight for the U.S. but was rejected when he tried to enlist. Outraged, he delib- erately violated a military curfew placed on Japanese- Americans and demanded to be arrested in 1942. He spent nine months in soli- tary confinement, with the Supreme Court ultimately ruling against him. "The thing of it was, he loved this country," Lau- rie Yasui said. "He thought that this country was the greatest country on earth and made a point to say that this is the only country where you could stand up and object to the govern- ment and the president and be allowed to make that ob- jection without being killed or destroyed." In the years that followed the war, he crisscrossed the country demanding — ulti- mately successfully — that the U.S. pay reparations to former Japanese internees and their heirs. MEDAL OF FREEDOM Opponent of Japanese-Americans' WWII treatment to be honored ORLIN WAGNER — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Laupie Yasui sits for an interview with photos of her father Minoru Yasui on a table in Kansas City, Mo., Friday. HugeDiscountsonDirtBikes Parking Lot Tent Sale 70% off Items up to •Helmets•Gloves•RidingGear•Clothing 22805 Antelope Blvd., Red Bluff 530-527-1466 ATVs are recommended only for use by those age 16 years and older. YAMAHA recommends an approved training course. See your dealer or call 1-800-887-2887. 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Juli Foster Exclusive Agent 250 Walnut Street Red Bluff, CA 96080 Office 530-527-5534 Cell 530-339-1595 Fax 530-527-4808 julifoster@allstate.com CA Insurance License Number OD41159 24-Hour Customer Service | NEWS | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2015 4 B ★