Arizona Sheriff Mark Dannels said Saturday that the open borders policy advocated by many seeking the Democratic presidential nomination would be a “disaster” for national sovereignty and security.
Dannels pointed to the murder of six Americans by a Mexican drug cartel to illustrate how Mexico is losing control of its own sovereignty and is unable to control the violence of its drug kingpins.
“If we don’t have a secure border in this country, we will have a different country. We need to stand united and the plan that Senator Sanders is putting forward is a disaster for this country,” he said, while appearing on “Cavuto Live”. (RELATED: Trump Warns That US May Be Ready To Wage WAR On Mexican Cartels)
Sanders is not the only Democrat in the nomination race with such views. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Friday that she’s “open” to the idea of not deporting illegal immigrants.
The sheriff urged viewers to consider the consequences of open borders. “Let’s put this into perspective. If you say get rid of the sheriff’s and law enforcement. What they’ve done on the first nine months, fiscal year 2019, 750,000 pounds of illicit drugs, methamphetamine, cocaine. 141 countries tried to get in our country in the first nine months of the year.”
Dannels was asked what he thought of Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ immigration plan that he released this week. It “advocates halting deportations and demolishing ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] outright and welcoming immigrants who have to move because of climate change.”
Members of the Mexican National Guard patrol the border with the United States, as seen from Anapra neighborhood, on the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, July 24, 2019. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez
The sheriff argued that as the drug cartels become more dominant in Mexico, it would be unwise to reduce border security. “It’s no secret, Neil, that the cartels control the southern border into Mexico and how deep in Mexico do they go? I think it’s quite high. It’s alarming to the good citizens in Mexico … This is terrorism — we need to address it.” (RELATED: Arizona Border Mayor Speaks Out About The Migrant Crisis)
Residents of the highly Democratic city of Tucson recently emphatically rejected ballot measure that would have made the community a sanctuary city. Over 71% of residents voted against Proposition 205 that would have made Tucson a safe haven for illegal immigrants.