Arizona GOP Governor Candidate on Migrant Surge: Declare Invasion, Send Guard to Border

If elected governor of Arizona, how would Kari Lake handle illegal immigration?

Sending illegal immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts is not a part of her plan.

Making an appearance on Tucker Carlson Tonight on Fox News on Wednesday night, the Republican said she disagreed with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s decision to send two planes of illegal immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard.

“You know, I actually get a kick out of it watching these liberal mayors just, you know, throw their hands up and say ‘we can’t handle it,’ because it’s life every day for us in these border states. However, I’m not a fan of it, Tucker. I mean, we’re just taking people here illegally who shouldn’t be here, we’re moving them further inland.”

Florida unexpectedly dropped off 50 Venezuelan illegal immigrants on the small Massachusetts island on Wednesday. The people spent the night at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Edgartown, Massachusetts, according to The Cape Cod Times.

So while Lake disagrees with this plan to handle illegal immigration, she laid out some of what she wanted to do on the issue.

“My plan is the most bold, aggressive plan on the border,” Lake told Tucker Carlson. “We’re going to secure the border. We’re going to call it what it is, issue a declaration of invasion on day one, get troops on the border in the form of our national guard. We’re going to stop people from coming over. And we’re going to stop the cartels from having control of our border.”

Lake also said there is another reason why border security is vital: preventing fentanyl from entering the country.

“I don’t like it as a mother and I know no Arizonan likes it that we’re the pipeline for the most dangerous deadly drug this country has ever seen called fentanyl,” she said. “Number one killer of young people. It’s all coming through Arizona because [President] Joe Biden gave control of our border to the cartels.”

As a result, Lake said she wants Arizona to take back control of its sector of the U.S.-Mexico border from the federal government. She thinks the federal government has failed to do its job on this issue under Biden.

“On day one we’re going to invoke our Article 1 Section 10 authority and take back control of our border away from the federal government,” she said. “It’s a dereliction of duty what they’ve done and we’re not going to let Joe Biden drag the state of Arizona down while he’s trying to destroy this country.”

Lake is running for governor against Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs. It’s an open-seat race as incumbent Republican governor Doug Ducey is not seeking re-election.

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