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Gila Bend Mayor: Democratic Maricopa County Attorney Candidate Will Worsen Crime Rates

October 4, 2022

By Corinne Murdock |

On Monday, Gila Bend Mayor Chris Riggs spoke out against Democratic Maricopa County Attorney candidate Julie Gunnigle’s vision for law and order. 

Riggs indicated in an interview with Fox News that Gunnigle was far removed from the reality of Biden’s border crisis and the effects of illegal immigration on crime rates, especially along the border, and that her proposed policies would further jeopardize their communities.

Riggs responded to a 2020 clip of Gunnigle discussing her plans for office, which included slashing the police budget and not enforcing deportations. 

“Justice should be an individualized determination that is driven by all of the issues that are happening in someone’s life, up to and including immigration status,” said Gunnigle. 

In response, Riggs invited Gunnigle to visit the border and experience illegal immigration’s effects for herself — this past weekend, that included three homicides in his town.

Riggs said that they’ve experienced an uptick in crime correlating with the swell of illegal immigrants crossing the border. Riggs explained that federal restrictions already render Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) unable to enforce the law, and noted that Gunnigle’s vision would exacerbate those issues. 

“Just Saturday, I had three homicides here, and this is a community that hasn’t seen a homicide in probably 100 years,” said Riggs. 

Gunnigle’s current and past campaign platforms echo that of fellow George Soros-backed progressive district and county attorneys.

READ HERE: GUNNIGLE’S 2022 CAMPAIGN PLATFORM

During her first run for Maricopa County attorney in July 2020, Gunnigle shared that she supported severe budget slashing for police through the “25 Saves Phoenix Lives,” a plan to divert $25 million from police toward youth and mental health programs.

Gunnigle also pledged to end cash bail, eliminate private prisons, discourage imprisonment for probation violations, eliminate mandatory minimum sentencing, implement diversion programs for drug crimes, stop systemic racism, and increase investigations into police.

This time around, Gunnigle insists that she wouldn’t influence police budgets if elected. Much of her past proposals made it onto her new campaign platform; she also includes a pledge to not prosecute abortion crimes, protect voting rights, make cannabis expungement universal and automatic, and to hire “people of color” to office.

Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.

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