TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Juan Ciscomani is the republican candidate running against democrat, Kirsten Engel for Arizona’s U.S. Congressional District 6.
Born in Mexico but growing up in Tucson—Juan Ciscomani is a strong believer of the American dream.
“On that day you get sworn in, I can tell you that is the proudest day of my life,” said Ciscomani.
Ciscomani is a first-generation college graduate from Pima Community College and the University of Arizona.
Border Security
As a senior former advisor to Governor Ducey and Vice-Chair of the Arizona-Mexico Commission, Ciscomani said he prioritizes issues at the border.
He said he would like to see more agents hired and more security technology.
“With security right now being heavily attacked when you have so many people crossing, over two and a half million, in a way that our system cannot process, and different measures are being taken to tackle that issue, the flow of fentanyl, that is also a terrible, causing a terrible health pandemic as well, with now that being the overdose fentanyl, the cause the leading cause of death among young people in Pima County, surpassing car accidents and then on top of that, you add the humanitarian piece as well, of just having children and women being trafficked.”
Citizenship
Having gone through the path to U.S. citizenship himself, he believes the process needs to be updated.
“It needs to be changed and needs to be renewed. It's outdated and what's happening is that it's not really based on the needs of the workforce and the market today,” said Ciscomani.
Abortion
Ciscomani said he is Pro-Life, with exceptions.
“The exceptions of rape, incest and the life of the mother. This is something that I've been on record saying since the very beginning,” Ciscomani said.
Education
When it comes to Arizona’s education system, he said he believes state issues should be handled at the state level.
“Education is a state issue and this is where it belongs. The state legislature and the governor need to do their job and funding education and making sure that we have the right standards. I have to tell you that I'm very proud of this system that Arizona has-- we have choice on education,” Ciscomani said.
Economy
If Ciscomani was elected, he said the economy would be at the forefront of his priorities.
“What government can and should do, first of all, is stop the overspending. This overspending, this pumping of resources into the economy; it's creating a higher demand for things of low supply. And that's part of the problem that we're seeing on this inflation rate,” Ciscomani said.
District 6 Issues
When asked about main issues in District 6, Ciscomani brought up fentanyl overdoses, circling the problem back to border security.
"When they see the border open in the sense of fentanyl and the ease in which they can cross over these drugs not only through the desert but also through our ports of entry. Our law enforcement officers or CBP officers have stopped thousands of these pills that would have otherwise come into the country and done a lot of harm to us. We need to give them the resources. We need more agents that can actually help and cover more ground,” Ciscomani said.
Juan Ciscomani said he will continue trying to make the community better for his kids and future generations to come.
“These are all issues that I've been fighting for a long time. And I will continue to do that. And I will continue to raise my family here and it's important to have something that is from the district, for our district that will be fighting for the same values that we all have.”