TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Two borderlands sheriffs, Mark Dannels of Cochise County and Leon Wilmot of Yuma County, will address a special joint session of the Arizona Legislature Wednesday afternoon.
A media release from the House Republicans says Representative Tim Dunn (R-13) of Yuma called the session to receive a briefing on the southern border from Dannels and Wilmot.
Dannels and Wilmot are two of four sheriffs in Arizona whose counties run along the southern border. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos and Santa Cruz County Sheriff David Hathaway were not in attendance.
WATCH FULL SESSION IN VIDEO PLAYER ABOVE
Presentations from the law enforcement officers included concerns over cartel violence at and around the border and criminal speeding related to human smuggling.
When Representative Matt Gress (R-4) asked Sheriffs Leon N. Wilmot and Mark J. Dannels if we should finish the border wall they answered with:
Absolutely, and, and that's probably the reason why Cochise is having the issues they have. So, 127 miles roughly for Yuma Sector Border Patrol. 112 miles for Yuma County, part of it goes into El Centro Sector, into California. Because of the gaps that I have, there's a lot of politics on dealing with the farm issue. We as a community asked for containers to be put down there to stop individuals from going into the farm fields. No matter what anybody says, and they can spin it any way they want, it helped our farmers by putting those there to stop the flow and keep them from going into the fields. As well as... (pause for clapping) as well as people that were being abandoned by the, the cartels and the smugglers out in the remote areas where we have fencing but no gate. They were being left out there. I've run into people by myself 30 miles out in the desert, group of nine that they were dropped by the cartels after they paid their money and said, 'It's not far to walk, but if you need help, call 911.' That's what we deal with. So, yes, finishing the fence will help. It's hard infrastructure. It was already there. They just didn't finish it. So, I think in Yuma, there's only 7 miles left to get done, as well as the electronic infrastructure, the cameras, the sensors, which all of that was stopped as well.
Representative Gress, you've seen our border down there. I say this all the time. A barrier is a symbol of trespass. Ask yourselves how many people have fencing at their own personal property? It sets the standard. Number one: It's a comprehensive answer to your question on physical barriers. Fencing does work. No doubt about it. Nobody's going to that argue with you, but it has to be supported through humans. It has to have staffing on the border. If you drive our border in Cochise County which is 83 miles, sadly, you're lucky to see an agent every 30, maybe 40 miles you'll see an agent down there because they've been depleted so bad. So, you've gotta have the human factor behind it. Any kind of technology or physical barrier, but yes, fencing, physical barriers do work. And when people debate that with me, I say, 'Do you have a fence at your house? Why do you have that there?' Number two. Same thing.
Hathaway had been outspoken against former Governor Doug Ducey's makeshift shipping container border wall while it was being constructed, threatening legal action.
In Dannels' presentation, he noted many border crossers are also apprehended after scaling existing walls already constructed along the border. Dannels' team also indicated the success of the Southeastern Arizona Border Regional Enforcement (SABRE) program in locating border crossers, which places cameras along the southern border where no wall exists.
Wimot noted that methods of illegal crossing and drug smuggling his law enforcement team has encountered include firing loads of narcotics over the existing border barriers with t-shirt cannons and drones, as well as breaching the fence with vehicles:
Image: Yuma County Sheriff Leon Wilmot
Image: State Criminal Alien Assistance Program
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