On Thursday, U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy visited the southern border in Cochise County with a group of freshmen Congressmen. The delegation included Reps. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz.; Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Ore.; Jen Kiggans, R-Va.; and Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis.
This was McCarthy’s first visit to the border since becoming Speaker of the House last month. McCarthy made border security a central issue in his 2022 reelection campaign.
The delegation received a briefing and aerial tour of the border from the Tucson Border Patrol Sector, hosted a roundtable discussion with local officials and community members and ended the day with a tour of the border on the ranch of John Ladd from Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels.
“I’m humbled and honored to host the delegation that is here,” Ladd said. “I think it’s a new beginning with the status of Washington. I’m a fourth generation rancher down here, I haven’t given up. This is the best chance that we have to control the border.”
Thursday’s border delegation was largely focused on the spike in criminal activity at the border in Cochise County and the growing fentanyl crisis.
Before leaving to tour the border, Dannels told the press gathered on Ladd’s ranch, “On behalf of the citizens of Cochise County, I want to thank Speaker McCarthy and Congressman Ciscomani. It’s great to see the engagement when dealing with a border in dire straits.”
Dannels told the Herald/Review in a phone interview Thursday night the engagement by McCarthy and his group was promising.
Dannels expressed concern over the county’s escalating border-related crimes. He said he used to brag about the safety of Cochise County, but two years of the Biden administration have seen a substantial increase in border-related crimes.
He pointed out that 40% of the inmates in the county’s jail are there for border-related crimes. He said this number used to be as low as 5%. This is costing the county $4.3 million annually, according to Dannels.
Dannels testified before the House Judiciary Committee’s “The Biden Border Crisis: Part 1” hearing earlier this month. The committee plans to hold a field hearing at the border in Yuma next week.
McCarthy’s remarks were largely focused on the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico and the fentanyl crisis.
“The sad part of what is happening here is the country of Mexico does not know who is leaving their country,” said McCarthy in his opening remarks to the press. “America does not know who is coming into our country. But there is one entity who knows who is leaving Mexico and who is coming into Mexico — the Sinaloa Cartel. Nobody comes across this border without paying them.”
McCarthy said those crossing the border in Cochise County were dressed in camouflage and wore carpet on their shoes to better disguise their tracks. He also expressed concern over the growing number of U.S. citizens being recruited by the cartel. He claimed it was now the county’s No. 1 employer.
Fentanyl was a major concern for those gathered at the border on Thursday.
“This is not just a border state issue anymore,” said Ciscomani said. “Every state in the country has become a border state with this fentanyl crisis.”
“If you want to stop fentanyl, the first call you should make is to (People’s Republic of China) President Xi,” said McCarthy. “That is exactly what I told President Biden in the Oval Office last week. Call President Xi and tell him to stop the chemicals from coming in.”
The Republican delegation also used Thursday’s visit to call on Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas to do his job and secure the border. McCarthy used the visit as a platform to criticize Mayorkas, and Ciscomani called on Mayorkas to visit the border and see the impact the crisis is having on communities.
Many Republicans in the House have called for the impeachment of Sec. Mayorkas. Last month, McCarthy called on him to resign.
McCarthy used the visit as a platform to highlight Republican efforts to secure the border.
“Republicans are taking action,” said McCarthy. “We’ve got a lot of ideas inside Congress. It’s different from the Congress before it. We’re not just going to write the bill and put it onto the floor, we’re going to listen to the people that are on the border — we’re going to listen to the border agents.”
While the group framed the border as being in crisis, border crossings hit their lowest point in the last two years in January with agents encountering 40% fewer people.
The Biden administration claims this is due to policy changes. Republicans have criticized this, saying the drop represents a lack of surveillance along the border, not a reduced number of crossings.
Many Democrats and immigration advocacy groups have criticized Thursday’s visit for being a GOP photo-op.
Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona’s 7th District also visited the border in Cochise County on Thursday. He was at the Douglas Port of Entry, which is slated to receive a major upgrade.
Grijalva admitted the border was an issue but told NPR he believed the Republican solution would be “extremist and narrow.”
“Are you serious about solutions or will you keep doing political theater for 2024? I think it’s the latter,” said Grijalva in an interview with NPR before Thursday’s border visits.
The Biden administration also was critical of the speaker’s delegation.
“House Republicans should spend less time on partisan publicity stunts and more time working on solutions,” said White House spokesperson Ian Sams. “Solutions are what President Biden is focused on, and his plan is working. House Republicans would be wise to join him to work together to strengthen our immigration system and fund border security.”
McCarthy said this visit marked the beginning of more Congressional engagement at the border. He said he doesn’t want the people to have to come to Washington, D.C., to share their problems; instead, he would like Congress to come see the problems firsthand.