Arizona’s sheriff says there is a “huge security problem” at the southern border, and Joe Biden’s statement that there are “more important things to do” is a “slap in the face to the American people.”
Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb joined “Fox & Friends” Wednesday to respond to Biden’s refusal to go to the border during his visit to Arizona.
“We’re allowing unprecedented amounts of people, unprecedented amounts of fentanyl to come into this country. Slavery is getting worse every day in this country, and it’s all happening at the southern border.”
BIDEN DEFENDS BORDER VISIT IN ARIZONA, SAYS HAS ‘IMPORTANT STUFF’
Lamb said the border is not “secure,” despite statements from Biden officials, including DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
“We had 24,000 arrests in the Tucson Sector alone, which is the sector I was in. We also had 24,000 fugitives that we knew about. Who knows how many we don’t know about? Pursuits involving suspected human smugglers. and traffic is stopped.
“And we have fentanyl deaths through the roof across America. So it’s not completely safe.”
Additionally, Lamb said the Biden administration “doesn’t care” about the ongoing border crisis.
YUMA, ARIZONA – SEPTEMBER 27: Border Patrol agents detain people near the U.S.-Mexico border wall near Yuma, Arizona on September 27, 2022, where the last reaches of the Colorado River flows into Mexico.
(David McNew/Getty Images)
“After two years, our lawmakers know that this administration is not committed to protecting our borders. On the contrary, you can clearly see that they just don’t care and are proud. Their policies are actually contributing to that. And they should. Know that , not out of ignorance or chance or incompetence.”
Lamb said it’s heartbreaking but also infuriating that the Biden administration says they have more important things to deal with. According to him, migrants are killed or injured on the journey, women and children are subjected to violence.
“We’ve had bailouts where we chase them down and then everybody gets bailed out of the car and guys get hit by trucks. We’ve had them drive into canals and drown. We’ve had them have accidents with the law. we’ve done … Permanent citizens going about their business, trying to go to work or go home wherever they go. We have women telling stories of being raped. We have children being forced into some kind of slavery,” she told Ainsley Ehrhardt.
MALLORCA KEEPING DHS HAS PLANS FOR TITLE 42 DESPITE FEAR OF NEW MIGRANT WAVE AT SOUTHERN BORDER.
Arizona Coshe County Sheriff Mark Dannels spoke on Fox & Friends First and said the president’s cancellation of the border crisis was an “insult” to all law enforcement officers near the border.
“The President of the United States is morally, ethically and legally responsible for securing our borders and protecting America, Dannels said.
“He failed at the border, he didn’t recognize the border, he ignored public safety, national security and human life. And we’ve seen the statistics, they’re non-political statistics. It’s completely disappointing.”
Dannels said officials have yet to meet with the president.
“He’s the first president who hasn’t met with the national sheriff’s chiefs,” he told Carly Shimkus.
On Tuesday, Biden said he did not visit the US-Mexico border because he had “more important things going on” despite making 59 trips to Delaware and eight ice cream stops since taking office.
“There are more important things,” Biden told Fox News White House correspondent Peter Ducky in defense of his decision to skip the border visit while in Arizona.
In a statement on Tuesday, the White House defended Biden’s comments, saying the president was taking action to secure the border.
“Of course, the President is also taking steps to protect our borders and build a fair, orderly, and humane immigration system. He has committed more funding than any of his predecessors to support the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security. brought together 20 world leaders to propose immigration reform and jointly manage the migration challenge affecting the entire Western Hemisphere.
When Donald Trump became president, Biden described the “horrific scenes” of “children being kept in cages” and federal agents “tearing children from their mothers’ arms” at the US southern border. But nearly two years into his presidency, Biden has never visited the border, despite thousands of illegal immigrants entering the country every day.
President Joe Biden holds an ice cream cone as he visits Moomers Homemade Ice Cream in Traverse City, Mich., Saturday, July 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
For Biden, “more important things” than visiting the border include 59 trips to his homeland and eight separate stops for his favorite dessert.
A analysis It revealed last month that Biden’s regular trips to Delaware have cost taxpayers more than $11 million since his presidency began.
Fox News’ Jessica Chasmar contributed to this report.