TUCSON, Arizona (13 News) – After visiting the border in Cochise County on Thursday, former President Donald Trump said the current administration is not doing enough when it comes to immigration and border security.
It’s a big talking point for Republicans: immigration. Donald Trump visited Sierra Vista.
“My community is tired, my community is frustrated,” said Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels. “We’ve seen a lot in this county over the last three and a half years as far as crime is concerned.”
Trump said at the border wall that his running mate JD Vance visited just three weeks ago.
With a focus on migrant crime, he told stories of people killed by illegal immigrants and said he urged the Biden administration to take action, but still encouraged Republican members of Congress to reject a bipartisan immigration bill in February.
“It was weak, it was ineffective, and it would have let millions and millions of people through, as you know, largely unchecked,” Trump said. “It was a terrible law, it was a weak law.”
Although Trump has been highly critical of the Biden-Harris administration, the number of encounters with undocumented immigrants fell to just over 100,000 last month – the lowest level since Biden and Harris took office.
“We have 3,762 people locked up in my county jail for border-related crimes,” Dannels said. “These are not immigration issues, these are border-related crimes up to double-digit murders. That cost my county $12.5 million.”
They said the Biden administration’s policies from a few months ago were not enough and they plan to do much more.
“We will seal the border, stop the invasion, and launch the largest deportation operation in American history,” Trump said. “We will oppose harsh new penalties for illegal immigrants. These include a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years for anyone guilty of human smuggling, a guaranteed life sentence for anyone guilty of child sex trafficking, and the death penalty for anyone guilty of child or female sex trafficking.”
Trump will be in Glendale for a campaign rally on Friday. 13 News reporter Emilee Miranda will be on site covering the event. Follow her on Twitter for more coverage.
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