Late last week, the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) announced that detention facilities remain over-capacity, now over a year into the Biden Administration. The NBPC highlighted the Del Rio sector detention centers, all of which were filled to three times their limit and contained not only adults, but children.
(1 of 2) Where is AOC and the lamestream lying media? Why are they no longer yelling about kids in cages? Over the weekend, Del Rio had more than three times its prisoner capacity in their facilities…and yes that includes children. Democrat in WH = no more outrage.
The NBPC railed against federal Democratic leadership, specifically calling out Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14) and the “lamestream lying media” for choosing to ignore the current situation despite visiting the border when no crisis existed under former President Donald Trump.
(2 of 2) Did they manufacture the entire narrative to smear Trump and create a false narrative for the American public? No wonder so few trust much of the media or politicians like AOC who care only about their political careers. #KidsInCages@RepAOC@DonaldJTrumpJr@SenTedCruzpic.twitter.com/AAWzbRI63I
The latest data from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) revealed that a historic high of illegal immigrants encountered along the Southwest border in February: nearly 165,000. Around 76 percent of those were single adults.
Around the same time, the Biden Administration expressed concerns that lifting the COVID-19 border policies would result in a greater surge of illegal crossings. It’s unclear what data the Biden Administration relied on to believe that their COVID-19 border policies stymied the border crisis in any way, considering the record highs occurring just about every month since President Joe Biden took office.
Biden officials apparently fear a "mass migration event" if COVID border policies are lifted.
Are you kidding me? A "mass migration event" is happening right now!
As noted in separate reporting by AZ Free News and the Daily Caller, the steady stream of illegal immigrants have caused the Biden-prompted inflation and supply chain crises to be felt more heavily by the agricultural communities. Farmers and ranchers have had their land and equipment damaged or destroyed by illegal immigrants trekking through or fleeing law enforcement. In addition to the property losses, those working the land report increased safety issues due to the constant flux of trespassers.
One property owner, Brad Whitaker, explainedto the Daily Caller the extent of damages and heightened threats he and others faced due to the illegal immigrants. Whitaker said that the illegal immigrants have “no consideration for anything,” citing the masses of trash left behind day after day.
“They caught a convicted felon on the ranch here in November and then they just caught him again last night because he goes back and comes back,” said Whitaker. “Since this administration has taken over, it has just been a complete nightmare […] The holes in the fences that they cut, they come in, they’re tearing up the houses, my skinning shed out there, I can’t keep knives in it because they steal them. They’re pulling batteries out of the deer feeders and tearing up, pulling off the solar panels to charge their phones with. And the trash, it is just unbelievable how much trash.”
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
According to the latest data released by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), law enforcement encountered nearly 154,000 illegal immigrants crossing the Southwest border. This number doesn’t include those illegal immigrants who evaded apprehension, known as “gotaways”: different than those who evade encounters entirely, or go through the catch-and-release process.
According to CBP data obtained through Border Patrol and by Townhall, CNN, and The Washington Postcompiled by the Republican National Committee (RNC), over 504,600 estimated gotaways have occurred since President Joe Biden was sworn in. Former and current border officials clarified that those estimates are conservative. National Border Patrol Council’s Rio Grande Valley Chapter Vice President and Spokesman Chris Cabrera told Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) that the actual number of gotaways is likely “twice, if not three times” the Biden Administration’s November estimate of around 400,000 — which would be around 1.2 million.
As evidenced by the CBP chart “Southwest Land Border Encounters by Month,” encounters remain far above those over the last three years. Unlike the last three years, however, there’s been a sharp downturn in encounters from December to January. Similar sharp downturn trends occurred in 2016 and 2017. Overall, Southwest border encounters dropped about 14 percent from December to January: 19 percent for the Office of Field Operations (OFO) and nearly 14 percent for U.S. Border Patrol.
CBP’s latest numbers come nearly a month after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) toldReuters that the country should expect the border crisis to worsen throughout 2022. A majority of Arizona law enforcement expressed support for mitigation efforts proposed by Governor Doug Ducey: federal legislation to increase border security through completing border wall, physical barriers, and virtual surveillance; requiring asylum seekers to show proof of attempt to claim asylum prior to crossing and at a port of entry; increasing the number of immigration judges; and increasing funding for local law enforcement and humanitarian efforts.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
According to the federal government, the unprecedented border crisis plaguing Arizona will likely only get worse this year. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials informedReuters that they’re preparing for up to 9,000 border arrests a day, topping last year’s daily average which was nearly 3,000 less apprehensions.
It is unclear how Border Patrol will handle the additional onslaught of illegal immigrants, as detention centers are already far overwhelmed. Last December, Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) reported record numbers of illegal immigrant encounters.
Governor Doug Ducey is attempting to sway federal lawmakers to increase border security personnel and resources to combat the current and now forecasted additional onslaught of illegal immigrants. As AZ Free News reported, a majority of Arizona law enforcement supports Ducey’s proposal to greatly increase border security. The governor’s office coordinated with other state leaders in drafting the federal legislation in the hopes that Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Krysten Sinema (D-AZ) will show their support.
Kelly may not be much help; he’s been the least outspoken on the border crisis of the two senators.
Even if legislation were to get past the House and Senate, President Joe Biden may object to the legislation. The last time that Biden posted about the border was in September; however, he wasn’t addressing the crisis. Biden chose to speak out about the treatment of the illegal Haitian immigrants, threatening investigation over debunked claims that border agents were whipping the aliens.
I'm heartbroken by the treatment of Haitian migrants at our border — and I acknowledge it is only the latest of many historic indignities that Haitians have faced. We will continue to offer assistance and investigate wrongdoing. I remain committed, as ever, to Haiti's future. pic.twitter.com/Cu1TlqF4EA
That isn’t to say the president hasn’t addressed issues of the border privately. Again, however, his concerns don’t reflect the crisis-level inundation of illegal immigrants, but instead their reception by the states. CNN claimed in a report this week that it obtained internal documents in which the Biden Administration threatened legal action against the state of Florida for threatening to revoke licenses to the shelters holding unaccompanied migrant children. Florida’s general counsel, Ryan Newman, claimed that the Biden Administration’s handling of the children was tantamount to a “human trafficking scheme.”
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
A U.S. Border Patrol agent patrolling in Cochise County suffered several cuts after being assaulted trying to take an undocumented immigrant into custody Wednesday morning, leading to at least one shot being fired from a USBP-issued gun, Arizona Daily Independent has learned.
It remains unclear whether the gun was fired by the injured agent, another agent, or the “combative subject” as John B. Mennell, a CBP spokesman called the person the agent was trying to apprehend.
“Neither the subject nor the agent was seriously injured during the assault,” Mennell wrote in a statement Thursday. “The case remains under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation who will provide additional details as appropriate.”
Very little is known about the assault which sent nearly two dozen law enforcement and public safety vehicles to the Coronado National Monument south of State Route 92 around 5 a.m. when USBP agents encountered a small group of people suspected of illegally entering the United States.
The agent’s injuries reportedly involved cuts or stabs on the hands and face, and were not life-threatening, according to Carol Capas, spokeswoman for the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office. The agent was taken from the scene for emergency medical care; no statement has been issued by CBP, USBP, or the FBI as to the agent’s condition.
About 24 hours after the attack, Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels took to the airways to bitterly criticize the Biden Administration and the leadership of Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of U.S. Department of Homeland Security for the unsafe conditions for residents of his county and the heightened dangers to law enforcement personnel.
Dannels told KFYI radio host James T. Harris that the attack on the USBP agent was just the latest incident of escalating violence. There was recently an assault on another USBP agent, as well as a local officer, and one of Dannels’ own deputies, he told Harris.
“It’s not getting better. In fact, just the opposite and we’ve been talking on this, preaching on this, for the last year,” Dannels said. “I’ll just say this – the failed leadership by this president and this administration to recognize, secure our border, secure our communities, and secure our country is devasting to us right now.”
The agent was attacked near Montezuma Canyon, which lies a few miles west of the USBP Brian A. Terry Station in Naco. Agents assigned to that station are among the 3,800 employees of the USBP’s Tucson Sector.
It would not be until 5 p.m. that FBI spokeswoman Brooke Brennan issued a short statement confirming the agency was conducting the investigation. At 6:30 p.m., Brennan issued a one-sentence supplement advising local residents there was no threat to the public.
However, several first responders familiar with the incident have told Arizona Daily Independent the “all-clear” notice could have been provided hours earlier. This would have relieved the worries of several local residents and tourists in the area.
Even USBP Tucson Sector Chief John Modlin ignored the assault on his agent. Modlin was active on social media throughout Wednesday but never bothered to address the morning incident. But he did have time to share a video of a May 2021 rescue of a migrant in California.
CBP recently acknowledged more than 1.7 million people were “encountered” or arrested at the U.S. southwest border in 2021. That figure does not include whistleblowers’ accounts among USBP agents as well as public comments from officials like Dannels of several thousands of migrants who escape arrest.
While USBP agents were dealing with the attack in southern Cochise County, agents with the USBP Yuma Sector were meeting with Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
In his radio comments Thursday, Dannels told Harris that the Western States Sheriffs’ Association has taken a position of “no confidence” in Mayorkas.
The association, which represents the 17 contiguous states west of the Mississippi River, issued a declaration in November calling on President Joe Biden to replace Mayorkas with someone “who will work with our federal enforcement partners and the administration to restore security and safety on our nation’s southern border.”
Corporate executive Jim Lamon’s campaign for U.S. Senate received endorsements last week from the National Border Patrol Council and the Arizona Police Association, shocking many in the Republican Party who assumed Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich was a shoo-in for the groups’ backing.
Lamon, the founder of Fortune 550 utility company DEPCOM Power, is among four prime candidates seeking the Republican nomination on Aug. 2, 2022 –and with it the chance to unseat Sen. Mark Kelly. The others are Brnovich, recently retired Arizona Adjutant General Michael “Mick” McGuire, and political newcomer Blake Masters, who serves as president of the Thiel Foundation.
There were also endorsements announced last week in the Arizona gubernatorial race, where businessman Steven Gaynor, former state lawmaker Matt Salmon, Board of Regents member Karrin Taylor Robson, and current State Treasurer Kimberly Yee are hoping Republican voters will start to look past the local celebrity status of television news personality Kari Lake, the current front runner.
The endorsements came in the form of former governors Jan Brewer and Fife Symington joining Taylor Robson as co-chairs of her campaign. Their support comes after Taylor Robson and Yee spent the summer taking turns announcing various municipal and county endorsements.
Meanwhile, Rep. Aaron Lieberman (LD28) and former Nogales Mayor Marco Lopez Jr. are hoping to show the name recognition enjoyed by current Secretary of State Katie Hobbs does not mean she is the best candidate to represent the Democratic Party in the race for governor.
The multi-candidate race to the Republican nomination for Arizona Secretary of State saw its biggest news to date when former President Donald Trump endorsed Rep. Mark Finchem (LD11) last week. Finchem’s most noted primary opponents are Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita (LD23) and Rep. Shawnna Bolick (LD20).
Trump’s endorsement of Finchem overshadowed the fact Rep. Reginald Bolding (LD27) snagged the endorsements last week of two prominent Democratic state lawmakers in his race against former Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes for that party’s nomination for Secretary of State.
Those endorsements, from Senate Minority Leader Rebecca Rios and Senate Minority Whip Martin Quezada, came as Senate President Karen Fann announced the audit report is expected to be released shortly into how well Maricopa County -especially Fontes’ office- complied with election laws and state election rules during the 2020 General Election.
The Republican primary for State Treasurer got less bloated this month when Rep. Regina Cobb (LD5) bowed out just weeks after announcing her candidacy. Cobb will be taking an executive position with the Arizona Dental Association, leaving Sen. David Livingston (LD22) and Rep. Jeff Weninger (LD17) to duke it out.
On the Democrat side, Sen. Martin Quezada (LD29) is expected to easily win his party’s nomination in the primary.
There have not been any major changes in the race for Arizona Attorney General, where former Supreme Court Justice Andrew Gould is in a close race for the Republican nomination against former federal prosecutor Lacy Cooper and UA College of Law alumna Tiffany Shedd in the primary.
And the fight for the Democratic Party nomination remains between Rep. Diego Rodriguez (LD27), former Arizona Corporation Commissioner Kris Mayes, and 2020 Legal Aid Attorney of the Year January Contreras. One Libertarian, Phoenix-based attorney Michael Kielsky, is also running for attorney general.
