By Matthew Holloway |
Democratic congressional candidate JoAnna Mendoza said immigrants are “the only folks” who will perform some jobs in Arizona’s agricultural industry in a resurfaced video highlighted this week by the Republican National Committee (RNC). She also cited construction, service-sector work, and caregiving as industries dependent on immigrant labor.
In the video, Mendoza discussed immigration’s effect on the labor force.
“Immigration. It’s also impacting our economy, labor. Here we have a huge Ag industry. So, you know, the only folks that will really do that are immigrants,” Mendoza said. “Cows that need to be milked twice a day, 365 days a year. You know, they don’t have the labor for it. Construction, service, service industries. We’re talking about caregivers in hospitals or, you know, that go to the home.”
The RNC characterized the remarks as an endorsement of illegal-immigrant labor, but Mendoza did not use the term “illegal immigrants” in the excerpt provided to AZ Free News.
Mendoza, a retired Marine running against Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani in Arizona’s Sixth Congressional District, has also questioned whether the Trump administration deserves credit for reducing illegal immigration.
In another video cited by Republicans, Mendoza was asked whether the Trump administration deserved any credit for slowing illegal immigration.
“Unfortunately, we have not seen that play out,” Mendoza responded.
Federal border data show a sharp decline in Border Patrol apprehensions during President Donald Trump’s second administration. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported that Southwest Border Patrol apprehensions during fiscal year 2025 fell to their lowest level since 1970.
The issue has particular significance in southern Arizona. The Tucson Sector, which covers much of the border area within and near the Sixth Congressional District, experienced a dramatic increase in encounters during the previous border surge. Federal data show encounters rose from approximately 66,000 in 2020 to more than 250,000 in 2022, according to the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Homeland Security Statistics.
Mendoza’s criticism of federal border enforcement predates her current congressional campaign.
In a 2019 letter to the Casa Grande Dispatch, published by PinalCentral, Mendoza described then-President Trump’s proposed border wall as racist.
“Families across the nation are suffering and racism has found a new shape — the wall,” Mendoza wrote.
“The wall will not only be a waste of taxpayer dollars, but what will the presence of a wall do to future generations?” she continued. “It will be a symbol of racism and hatred. It will ignite anger and violence. As it stands, it’s already tearing our country apart.”
Mendoza wrote the letter shortly before Martin Luther King Jr. Day and connected her criticism of the wall to an encounter in which she said someone made racist remarks toward her.
More recently, Mendoza has sharply criticized Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
In one video excerpt from Meidas Touch, Mendoza said, “These ICE agents are not living up to their oath.”
Another video shows Mendoza calling for ICE operations to stop. “First and foremost, what we need to address is… we need to stand down for ICE and all ICE operations right now, because an external, independent investigation needs to happen,” Mendoza said.
In a separate clip from Meidas Touch, Mendoza compared conditions under current federal immigration enforcement to those of a developing country. “Like we’re living in a third world country,” Mendoza said. “I never thought I would see the government and its federal law enforcement agency turn against the American people.”
In more recent appearances, however, Mendoza has argued that ICE should continue receiving federal funding while operating under greater oversight. In a March 2026 op-ed highlighted by her campaign, she wrote, “The answer is not to defund law enforcement – it’s to fund law enforcement with intention. That includes ICE.”
The RNC seized on Mendoza’s earlier remarks as the Sixth District race heads toward November.
“JoAnna Mendoza wants Arizona to be full of criminal illegal immigrants and let the inmates run the asylum,” RNC spokesman Nick Poché said. “That is not serious border security – It’s a recipe for more of the chaos southern Arizona already endured.”
Ciscomani has made border security a central issue during his tenure in Congress. His congressional office lists multiple border-focused bills introduced during the 118th and 119th Congresses.
Among them is the Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act, H.R. 35, which establishes federal penalties for individuals who intentionally flee Border Patrol agents, or law enforcement officers assisting Border Patrol, in a motor vehicle within 100 miles of the border.
Ciscomani also introduced the Federal Lands Amplified Security for the Homeland Act, or FLASH Act, H.R. 1820, aimed at expanding Customs and Border Protection access to federal lands near the border.
His Pay Our Homeland Defenders Act, H.R. 8029, passed the House in March to provide funding for the Department of Homeland Security during the 2026 shutdown.
Ciscomani has also led congressional delegations to Arizona’s southern border, including a delegation of first-term House members.
Mendoza and Ciscomani will face each other in the general election for Arizona’s Sixth Congressional District.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
