Op-Ed

 "It is chaos and hell at the border, they are coming in by the thousands".

 Title 42 is set to expire December 21st, 2022. However, after talking to Customs and Border Patrol agents it is no longer being enforced. On Tuesday, December 6th, 2022, agents on the ground were told not to process illegal immigrants through T42.

T42 helped the agents control the crowd of illegal immigrants as they were being processed.

Now, Border Patrol Agents have been pulled from the field to help process the flood of illegal immigrants claiming asylum at the border. The patrolling of the border is compromised as agents are assigned administrative duties rather than patrolling and detaining illegal entry.

The demonizing from the media and lack of support from the Biden Administration has only added to the frustration in the Customs and Border Patrol agencies.  Thousands of agents have quit in the Tucson sector in the past two years. They have moved on to other law enforcement agencies and cities. Suicides have increased among the ranks. There are only 2 agents for every 26 miles of border line. They can't keep up with processing and patrolling the field at the same time.

Title 42 is the only tool to control the chaos at the border, and we are allowing it to expire.

When T42 was upheld, illegal immigrants were deported when found smuggling children, claiming false identity, had a previous criminal record, or attempted reentry.

Expiration of T42 will increase human trafficking, slavery, abuse of children, rape of women and the deaths seen along the border.

I hold the Biden administration fully responsible for this atrocity. I support every effort to stop illegal entry into the country. I support our local Sherriff Dannels, and the Conex box border wall that Governor Ducey authorized. Our Law Enforcement, Customs and Border Patrol are great people risking their lives for the lives of American citizens and lives of immigrants. I applaud their efforts even though they are basically ignored by the Biden administration.

I will do all I can to keep our communities safe.

Soon I will be submitting a Bill that will increase the punishment for fleeing from law enforcement officers to a Class 2 Felony. Currently, drivers of “load cars” transporting illegal immigrants are punished by a Class 6 Felony – essentially a slap on the hand. A Class 2 Felony will imprison the participants of this illegal activity for many years. The judicial branch must prosecute this criminal activity."