PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs launched a new border security plan aimed at cracking down on criminal cartels along Arizona’s 370-mile border with Mexico.

The timing comes as federal data shows the number of arrests at the southern border has plummeted.

“I’m confident we can take an important next step in our ongoing work to secure the border,” Hobbs said in a statement.

On Tuesday, the governor signed an executive order to create Operation Desert Guardian, a joint task force focused on breaking up illegal drug smuggling and human trafficking operations.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety will work with the state Department of Emergency and Military Affairs and the state’s Department of Homeland Security across four border counties.

According to the governor’s office, a portion of the state’s Border Security Fund, which has a balance of about $28 million, will pay for the plan.

The most recent data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reveals its encounters with migrants dropped 65% along the southwest border compared to the same time last year.

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