Dem Texas candidate says 'there's no violence' along US southern border

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Dan Sanchez, a Texas Democrat who is running in the special election next Tuesday for the U.S. House, said "there’s no violence" along the U.S. southern border.

Sanchez, who is running to represent Texas' 34th Congressional District, talked about his experience living along the border in Los Indios, Texas, during a broader conversation about gun control last week.

"There's no violence along the river here," he said during the event hosted by Futuro RGV. "We're not having people attacked here. I think it's used as political propaganda in D.C. to talk about our border. I do believe we need secure borders. We need to have a secure border, but the way to do it is talk to our local Border Patrol and get their input and see what we need to give them in terms of the ability to do their job."

Dan Sanchez is a Democratic candidate in the special election for the 34th Congressional District of Texas. (Dan Sanchez campaign)

"I grew up in Los Indios, Texas," he said. "I could walk from my backyard to the river. We had open land without a wall, and I never once felt unsafe. My parents’ property has now been traversed by the wall. But as far as being secure, I never felt the need to have a gun to protect myself playing in the backyard as a child. My parents never had the thought of not allowing us to go back and fish in the canal or go to a wooded area and build forts, which is what we did when we were young. And we were within probably 1,000 yards of the river."

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Sanchez’s comments come as Border Patrol agents continue to apprehend sex offenders, drug traffickers and MS-13 gang members along the U.S.-Mexico border in what Republicans are describing as a growing national security and humanitarian crisis.

Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz announced last week that in just three days, agents had stopped 10 sex offenders, three gang members, one "assassination suspect," and one fugitive wanted for murder from entering the country, (Getty Images)

Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz announced last week that in just three days, agents had stopped 10 sex offenders, three gang members, one "assassination suspect," and one fugitive wanted for murder from entering the country, as well as 13 pounds of methamphetamine, 26 pounds of heroin and 131 pounds of fentanyl.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol has encountered 1,219,920 undocumented migrants so far in 2022, and that number appears far from slowing amid the Biden administration’s efforts to end Title 42, a health order that allows the U.S. to turn away undocumented migrants seeking asylum.

Border Patrol agents capture a migrant near the U.S.-Mexico border fence in Calexico, California, on Sept. 14, 2021. (Eric Thayer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Once Title 42 expires, the Department of Homeland Security predicts up to 18,000 migrants could cross the border daily. 

Meanwhile, a caravan currently heading to the U.S. through Mexico could become the largest ever to reach the U.S. southern border, with the current number of close to 10,000 migrants expected to swell to about 15,000.

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Sanchez is running to replace Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Texas, who represented the 34th District for nearly 10 years in Congress. The special election will take place on June 14, when Sanchez will face off against three other candidates: Republicans Mayra Flores and Juana Cantu-Cabrera and Democrat Rene Coronado.

Fox News’ Kyle Morris, Caroline Elliott and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.