CLARIFICATION: CCSO says approximately 40,000 migrants were picked up directly from local border patrol stations, which are not considered "street releases" as previously stated.
—————————————————
"You might be able to go, to middle America and learn about Fentanyl, or you come to the source,” said Cochise County Sheriff Office Operations Commander, Robert Watkins.
In 2022, 23.37% of all Fentanyl pills seized in the country were from the Tucson Sector.
On Thursday the Cochise County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) hosted Senator and Vice President candidate JD Vance for a tour of the southern border. Watkin's says CCSO host politicians because they want them to see and learn how the activity at the border affects Cochise County, since other border communities don't see the same things.
"Congress has failed this border and this community,” Watkins said.
Which is why he says Sheriff Mark Dannels encourages politicians to come see what's happening for themselves and urges the public to hold their representatives accountable.
“I just want our issues addressed," said Sierra Vista Mayor, Clea McCaa said. "I just want you know, resources at the border. I want to make sure the people of Sierra Vista know that we're, we're speaking for them, and we're protecting their life, liberty, and property.”
McCaa was the only Cochise County mayor invited to Vance's event at the border. He and Watkins say it's important people see the drug and human smuggling happening in the county for themselves because the affect of the activity at the border is different for every community.
“The single greatest threat to the citizens of Cochise County, is the smuggling load drivers," Watkins said. "Whatever we got to do to bring attention to that, we will.”
Vance’s first trip to the border was brief and left little time for conversation with McCaa. The Mayor says he was able to meet the senator at their airport and before heading to the border.
"I wanted to make sure that our story was being told,” McCaa said.
The story of high speed chases through cities.
"He clearly saw it today, and he clearly sees our issues now," McCaa said. "We need him to verbalize those issues back to Washington and do something about it.”
The mayor told KGUN, he wish other local mayors were invited, because even though they all have a unified message of needing more resources, each city in the county is seeing different things.
McCaa and Watkins say this isn’t a Republican or Democrat issue, because what's happening is bigger than politics.
“A 12-year-old kid driving down the highway at 100 miles an hour, being forced to drive into oncoming traffic with two teenage kids, and the trunk of the car is not human, it's not humane," Watkins said. "It's wrong, and it needs to stop.”
The commander says teen smugglers have admitted to being threatened by the cartels if they pull over for law enforcement, so they flee.
McCaa and Watkins welcome any politician to see what's happening and visit the border in Cochise County, because seeing it makes it hard to ignore.
——-
Alexis Ramanjulu is a reporter in Cochise County for KGUN 9. She began her journalism career reporting for the Herald/Review in Sierra Vista, which she also calls home. Share your story ideas with Alexis by emailing alexis.ramanjulu@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook.
