At a border security summit hosted by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in Cochise, Arizona, where he announced a new strike force among sheriffs and law enforcement agencies, two Arizona sheriffs described the challenges they face resulting from what they say are Biden administration policies.
Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels, who helped organize the event, said the federal government’s refusal to secure the border was “leaving the states and sheriffs throughout the country and local law enforcement to address” the border crisis. The roundtable was an opportunity, Dannels said, for them “to come together and say, ‘How can we stand united in this country, local, state and federal, and challenge our governors, all of them … to bring the fight to the cartels?’
“That’s what this is all about. This is not about politics. This is about doing what’s right that everyone in this room that works for the government have taken an oath to do.”
When asked by DeSantis “if he could snap his fingers and get one thing to help him, what would it be,” he said, “We need to prioritize all our borders. We have failed to do that in Washington, D.C. Our borders are the gateway of crime in so many ways under public safety, national security, and humanitarian.
“We need to enforce the rule of law as it’s written to secure our border with actionable, reasonable consequences,” he continued. “We need enhanced judicial oversight. We need to have asylum hearing officers at every port of entry all along the southwest border to address those asylum claims. Nine out of ten would be returned immediately, which would stop the flow.”
He also said, “We got to get the dang politics out of our rule of law.”
Graham County Sheriff PJ Allred said when people come to the U.S., his “little county is probably not their destination. But they come through us. And we feel them when they come through us. … We have our vehicle pursuits. … But one thing that does stick with us is the drug portion.”
Graham County, which borders Cochise County to the north, is one county away from the Arizona-Mexico border.
Allred described an incident with a local resident he pulled over who appeared to be a scout for the Mexican cartels. Scouts survey where Border Patrol or law enforcement agents are and relay the information to smugglers so they know which routes to avoid.
He also described situations of illegal foreign nationals who come through their yards and how he apprehended a group of Chinese women who illegally entered Arizona, rescuing them from cartel coyotes. Coyotes are cartel operatives who guide foreign nationals along various routes to enter the U.S. illegally to avoid being captured by law enforcement.
As Arizona has moved to defund border security efforts and as Texas’ Operation Lone Star made an impact in stopping criminal activity, cartels have been moving smuggling activity west, Border Patrol agents have told The Center Square. In fiscal 2022, nearly 816,000 foreign nationals were apprehended or evaded law enforcement after illegally entering Arizona, according to Border Patrol data obtained by The Center Square.
When recently testifying before Congress, Tucson Sector Border Patrol Chief John Modlin said, “The smuggling organizations to our south are very well organized and resourceful,” referring to Mexican cartels. The Tucson Sector includes Cochise and Graham counties.
“Each and every person crossing through the Tucson Sector must pay these criminal organizations,” Modlin said. “The migrants we encounter are completely outfitted in camouflage by the smuggling organizations before they cross. Most run from and fight our agents to avoid apprehension. Many are previously deported felons who know they are inadmissible to the United States, and many pose a serious threat to our communities.”
Jobe Dickinson, president of the Border Security Alliance, told The Center Square his coalition “welcomes the announcement by Governor Ron DeSantis to start a coalition of like-minded law enforcement agencies from across the nation to help secure our border. Our border crisis continues to be ignored by the federal government, and our border communities can no longer withstand the demand for services and manage the increased flow of immigrants. Together, we can pool resources to better combat border security issues that ultimately affect every state in our nation.
“This is an issue of national concern, and we appreciate non-border states engaging since the Biden Administration fails to act.”
Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
