Arizona sheriff on border security: 'It's a mess up here'
Judge Jeanine Pirro speaks with Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels during her visit to once location where border wall construction was halted.
The Biden administration pulled the plug on border wall construction on day one, and Cochise County, Ariz. Sheriff Mark Dannels told "Justice with Judge Jeanine" his policies have only incited more violence.
"In our county, we deal strictly with cartel trafficking," he said. "The Sinaloa cartel – they control all human smuggling in this county, they have control on drug smuggling in this county and we see it. It's a very violent situation ... when it comes to the cartels pushing people through."
Host Jeanine Pirro visited the site in Arizona where border wall construction was halted. The sheriff said it took nearly one year to build infrastructure and roads in his area before wall materials could even be cemented in.
"It's a mess up here," he said. "It's in disarray."
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Dannels explained that Arizona's rural landscape and mountain range hideouts are attractive to cartels.
The sheriff indirectly addressed President Biden, pressing that he must get border personnel and immigration experts to the table to discuss what's best for national security.
"The bottom line, Mr. President, is you and I share one thing – the citizens of this country," he said. "And these reckless and hasty plans and executive orders only serve one purpose – to open up our country for public safety disasters."
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"We're in a global health pandemic but we're being ignored on the southwest border," he continued. "It's almost like we're not part of America anymore. ... What I'm seeing down here is total opposite of what the CDC is recommending. ... Are we part of this country or are we not?"
Dannels said border officials have been detecting up to 500 unaccompanied minors and 4,000 adults crossing the border per day. The sheriff said a majority of migrants coming over into Cochise County come dressed in camouflage – a dress code set up and sold by cartels.
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