Arizona sheriffs fire back at Biden over 'slap in the face' to law enforcement
Pinal County, Arizona Sheriff Mark Lamb on Joe Biden avoiding seeing the southern border while visiting Arizona
An Arizona sheriff said there is a "major security problem" at the southern border and Joe Biden's statement that there are "more important things to do" was 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 visit the border while visiting Arizona.
"We are allowing unprecedented amounts of people, unprecedented amounts of fentanyl to come into this country. The slavery is increasing every day in this country, and it is all happening right at the southern border."
BIDEN DEFENDS SKIPPING BORDER VISIT WHILE IN ARIZONA, SAYS THERE ARE ‘MORE IMPORTANT THINGS’
Lamb said despite statements from Biden officials including DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the border is "not secure."
"We had 24,000 apprehensions in the Tucson sector alone, which is the sector that I'm in. We also had 24,000 gotaways that we knew about. Who knows how many we don't know about? Lamb asked, noting the surge in police pursuits and traffic stops involving suspected human smugglers.
"And the deaths that we're having across America from fentanyl is through the roof. So it's absolutely not secure."
Additionally, Lamb said the Biden administration "does not care" about the ongoing border crisis.
YUMA, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 27: Border patrol agents take people into custody next to the U.S.-Mexico border fence where the last of the Colorado River flows into Mexico on September 27, 2022 near Yuma, Arizona. (David McNew/Getty Images)
"After two years, our deputies know this administration is not committed to protecting our borders. On the contrary, you can clearly see they just don't care and they're proud. Their policies are actually contributing to this. And they have to know that this isn't by ignorance or by accident or incompetence."
Lamb said it is heartbreaking but also frustrating for the Biden administration to say they have more important things to deal with. He said migrants are getting killed or injured on the journey and women and children are being abused.
"We've had bailouts, which is where we pursue them and then everybody bails out of the car and guys get hit by trucks. We've had them drive into canals and drown. We've had them get into accidents with law-abiding citizens who are just minding their own business, trying to go to work or go home wherever they're going. We have women that tell us the stories of being raped. We have children that are being forced into some type of slavery," he told Ainsley Earhardt.
Cochise County, Arizona Sheriff Mark Dannels reacted on "Fox & Friends First" and said the president's dismissal of the border crisis is "an insult" to all law enforcement officials near the border.
"The President of the United States, morally, ethically and legally has a responsibility to secure our border and protect America, said Dannels.
"He's failed to engage on the border, failed to recognize the border, ignored public safety, national security, and human life. And we've seen the stats, they're non-political stats. It's a complete disappointment."
Dannels said officials have yet to meet with the president.
"He's the first president not to meet with national sheriff leaders," he told Carley Shimkus.
Biden said Tuesday that he hasn’t visited the U.S.-Mexico border because "there are more important things going on," despite traveling to Delaware 59 times and stopping for ice cream eight times since taking office.
Biden defended his decision to skip visiting the border while in Arizona, telling Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy, "There are more important things going on."
In a statement Tuesday, the White House defended Biden's comment and insisted the president is taking action to secure the border.
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"Of course, the President is also taking action to secure our border and build a fair, orderly, and humane immigration system. He’s secured more funding than all of his predecessors to support the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security, put forward a comprehensive immigration reform proposal, and brought 20 world leaders together to jointly manage the migration challenge impacting the entire Western Hemisphere."
When Donald Trump was president, Biden described "horrifying scenes" at the U.S. southern border of "kids being kept in cages" and federal agents "ripping children from their mothers' arms." But nearly two years into his presidency, Biden has never visited the border despite thousands of illegal immigrants flooding into the country every day.
President Joe Biden holds an ice cream cone as he visits Moomers Homemade Ice Cream, Saturday, July 3, 2021, in Traverse City, Mich. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
To Biden, "more important things" than visiting the border apparently include 59 trips to his home state and eight separate stops for his favorite dessert.
A Fox News Digital analysis found last month that Biden’s regular trips to Delaware have cost taxpayers upward of $11 million since the start of his presidency.
Fox News Jessica Chasmar contributed to this report.
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