Arizona Sheriffs Lean on Sinema, Kelly to Support Border Security Upgrades

Arizona Sheriff’s Association Calls On Mark Kelly, Kyrsten Sinema To Support Border Security Measures

The Arizona Sheriff’s Association sent a letter to both U.S. Senators from Arizona, Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema, telling the Democrats to take action on the state’s border crisis.

In the letter, the ASA said the situation on the U.S.-Mexico border is getting worse and harming the community.

“The border crisis is a clear national security concern, humanitarian crisis, public health crisis, and it’s fueling the drug epidemic in every state,” President of the Arizona Sheriff’s Association Mark Dannels wrote in the letter.

The ASA said the U.S. Customs and Border Protection arrested several thousand illegal immigrants with past criminal convictions in the United States in the fiscal year 2021.

Here are the statistics the ASA provided on the issue:

2,138 for illegal possession or trafficking
1,178 individuals with convictions for assault
1,629 for driving under the influence
825 for burglary
488 for sexual offenses
336 for unlawful weapons possession
60 for homicide
“Just how many records have to be broken before the U.S. Senate takes action to protect our Arizona communities?” Daniels asked.

The ASA also noted that the United States saw a sharp rise in drug overdose deaths in recent years. In the 12 months ending April 2021, there were 100,306 drug overdose deaths in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The deaths are a 28.5% increase over the 78,056 deaths 12 months prior.

Other than the presence of crime in the community, including drug and human trafficking, the ASA said that farmers have had their crops damaged and ruined by illegal immigrants trespassing on their land.

The ASA wants to see federal legislation drafted by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey get to President Joe Biden’s desk.

The letter says that Ducey’s proposal would do the following: complete the U.S.-Mexico border wall with both physical barriers and virtual surveillance, require asylum seekers who travel through another country to attempt to seek asylum there first, require asylum seekers to seek asylum at legal points of entry, increase the number of immigration judges, increase funding for both law enforcement and humanitarian efforts, and have the federal government make clear that the country’s border is not open for illegal immigration.

“We stand ready to enforce the rule of law in Arizona and committed to protecting our counties, state, and nation, and we want you to join us,” Daniels concluded.

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This article was published in The Center Square and is reproduced with permission.