PHOENIX (AP) — Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said Monday she is willing to work with President-elect Donald Trump’s new administration on border security issues like stopping fentanyl trafficking, but not in areas that she said could harm Arizona families such as mass deportation.

Hobbs traveled to the Arizona-Mexico border on Monday to trumpet her state’s National Guard work helping crack down on smuggling of the deadly synthetic opioid into the U.S. through Nogales, Arizona. More than half of all border seizures of the drug are made in Nogales.

“Border security was a core issue of the Trump campaign,” Hobbs told reporters as vehicles moved behind her. “I look forward to having conversations with the incoming president about Arizona’s needs, including border security and the work we’ve done here to build these partnerships that are actually producing results and how we can continue those partnerships under his administration.”

But, she added, there are Arizona families who “are worried about threats from the Trump administration as well.”

“I will not tolerate actions that harm Arizonans, that harm our communities and quite honestly, divert resources from providing real security at our border,” Hobbs said.

Trump has promised to conduct the largest deportation operation in American history, something that would upend the lives of the 11 million people living in the United States without authorization, many of whom have family members who are U.S. citizens.

“I will stand up to protect Arizonans from harm by the federal government, from anyone,” Hobbs said, but “I’m not going to comment on hypotheticals. We don’t know what a mass deportation plan will look like, what resources it will involve.”

Hobbs also touted Operation Secure, her initiative deploying the National Guard to assist local and federal enforcement in Arizona’s border communities like Nogales. The governor said 170 Arizona National Guard members are assigned to counterdrug efforts statewide, including 40 at the border in Nogales.

The governor’s border visit comes less than two weeks after Democrats suffered blistering losses at the polls in Arizona, with Trump defeating Vice President Kamala Harris by a margin of about 185,000 votes statewide and beefing up the Republican majority in the Arizona Legislature.

Hobbs said Monday that border security is not a “Republican or Democratic issue” and she will work with “anyone” to keep the border safe.

Troy Miller, acting head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, also spoke at the news conference and called National Guard members “a critical force multiplier” for his agency’s operations at the Nogales port.

“The scope of this problem is too large and the stakes are too high for us to do this work alone,” Miller said. “That’s why I’m so proud of the partnerships we have built, especially the ones right here in Arizona.”

A protected Mexican gray wolf named Hope was found dead on November 7 near Flagstaff, Arizona, prompting a significant reward for information leading to a conviction over her killing.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Arizona Game and Fish Department announced a combined reward of $103,500 for details about her death.

Her killing has sparked outrage among wildlife advocates who see her as a critical messenger for Mexican gray wolf recovery efforts.

Mexican gray wolves are protected under the Endangered Species Act. Killing a Mexican wolf is a serious federal offense that can result in substantial fines and potential imprisonment.

So far, details of the animal’s death have not been publicly released and an investigation is underway.

Newsweek contacted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via its website for comment.

Having dispersed from the Tu Dil Hil pack in the Mexican Wolf Experimental Population Area, Hope had carved out a territory north of Interstate 40, an area outside the official wolf recovery zone. She had been seen traveling with another Mexican wolf in the area, according to a Fish and Wildlife Service statement.

Conservation experts viewed her presence as evidence that suitable wolf habitat extends beyond current designated regions.

“Hope was a sentient individual being and a messenger of the changes needed in the Mexican gray wolf recovery program,” Claire Musser, executive director at Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project, said in a statement.

Her territory challenged existing conservation boundaries and demonstrated the potential for wolf populations to naturally expand.

Wildlife advocates have questioned how the death could have occurred, as the animal would have been instantly recognizable as a wolf.

Cyndi Tuell from Western Watersheds Project said in a statement that Hope’s tracking collar was clearly visible, making it impossible for a shooter to mistake her for a coyote or claim an accidental killing.

“If someone killed Hope, the full weight of the federal and state law should be brought to bear against the person or persons who took her away from our human community which found inspiration and joy in her existence, and from the nonhuman community that depends upon top predators to bring balance to the landscape,” Tuell said.

Hope’s presence had garnered significant public support. In 2021, Flagstaff passed a resolution supporting Mexican gray wolf recovery, recognizing both the ecological importance and potential economic benefits of wolf-related tourism.

Scientists have recommended expanding wolf recovery plans to include additional subpopulations, particularly in the Grand Canyon ecoregion and southern Rockies. Hope’s journey represented an example of this potential.

Sandy Bahr from the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Chapter demanded accountability. “If the investigation into Hope’s death reveals that a person killed her, we expect the Arizona Game and Fish Department to advocate for justice for Hope,” she said in a statement.

Taylor McKinnon of the Center for Biological Diversity added: “Hope embodied the dreams of many in Flagstaff, including the school children who named her. Her death is not just a loss for wildlife, but for our entire community.”

The fate of the other wolf, named as Mystery, which was traveling with Hope remains unknown, according to the Center for Biological Diversity.

Anyone with information about Hope’s death is urged to contact U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service special agents in Pinetop, Arizona at (346) 254-0515.

Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about gray wolves? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.

It’s safe to say that the Arizona Fall League season for Texas Rangers hitting prospect Alejandro Osuna went well.

He was among the award winners when the AFL concluded regular-season play earlier this week.

Osuna was named the winner of the Dernell Stenson Sportsmanship Award, which is given to a player who best exemplifies unselfishness, hard work and leadership. It is named for a former baseball player who was killed in 2003 in Arizona during the AFL season.

Osuna was already on everyone’s radar when he arrived in Arizona, thanks to a terrific season that led to his selection as the Rangers minor league player of the year.

He only built on that in the AFL, where he was among the best hitters in the league.

He finished with a slash line of .306/.438/.449, leading the AFL in walks (22) and tied for second in hits (30), runs (25) and doubles (8). Like the rest of the Rangers prospects, he played for Surprise.

Osuna entered the AFL season as the Rangers’ No. 16 overall prospect per MLB Pipeline. That could change the closer Texas gets to the 2025 season.

After three solid seasons in the Rangers’ system the outfielder had a breakthrough season in 2024 with High-A Hickory and Double-A Frisco.

Combined he finished with a slash line of .292/.362/.507/.869 with a career-high 18 home runs and 61 RBI. MLB.com compared his profile as a player to that of New York Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo. He also had 17 steals.

Among Texas minor-league players with at least 300 at-bats, he led in slugging percentage and OPS. He also showed improvement at the plate after his promotion to Frisco on June 28, as he slashed .306/.379/.523/.902 with nine home runs and 32 RBI.

Osuna is probably at least a year away from helping the Rangers. But his quality numbers in the AFL almost assure he’ll get a non-roster invitation to Major League spring training and likely earned him a roster spot at Triple-A Round Rock in 2025.

The Rangers signed him for $125,000 out of Mexico in 2020. He was on the radar of other organizations, notably because he was younger brother of former All-Star closer Roberto Osuna and the nephew of ex-big leaguer Antonio Osuna.