This past weekend, I journeyed to Yuma, Arizona, to tour our southern border. In just a short visit, I confronted the stark reality of the profound failure our border has become. Joe Biden's border crisis isn't merely a local issue—it's a national emergency encompassing national security, our economy, and public safety. We can't afford to stand idle while this crisis reaches every corner of our nation, including Alaska.
At the U.S.-Mexico border, one thing became unmistakably clear: our national security is in jeopardy. On one end, a formidable wall, promised and built by President Trump, stands tall. On the other end, the stark contrast where the wall ends marks the transition to Joe Biden's tenure. Biden halted the construction of the wall, opting instead for a flimsy, chicken wire fence while materials intended to complete President Trump’s wall lie unused. This “deterrent” sitting next to a half-built megalith halted by a myopic regime represents a glaring failure of the Biden administration. A five-alarm failure that leaves our nation vulnerable.
I witnessed firsthand hundreds of migrants strolling into our nation. We don’t know who they are, where they came from, or what their intentions are. Our security officers are overwhelmed, and there's no way to properly screen for threats. We know terrorists and spies are entering our country at the southern border — a terrifying reality at the hands of Joe Biden, Alejandro Mayorkas, and their Democrat enablers in Congress. Imagine you are running a bank: you've spent thousands of dollars on top-of-the-line measures and a proven plan to keep everyone’s precious valuables safe. Then, new owners take over, remove the front door, and hang a “free money” sign in the window. That is the state of our nation.
It’s not just national security, though; I also spoke with farmers who highlighted the food security crisis and economic toll caused by illegal immigration on our farming. Farmers are forced to destroy their own crops as migrants trample over them, leading to contamination and loss. This situation contributes to food shortages and inflates prices across the country.
Additionally, the massive economic toll of illegal immigration on our nation is undeniable. As I saw adults in nice clothes and top-of-the-line cell phones walk into our country, it became clear these were not distraught asylum seekers, but grifters looking for a handout from our broken system. We spend millions and millions of taxpayer dollars on benefits for illegal immigrants who broke our laws to get into our country and stay here without paying their fair share.
Everything I witnessed made it clear that Joe Biden and his Democrat lackeys, like Mary Peltola, are failing our nation and Alaska by leaving our border open. The chaos and lack of leadership has led to 85,000 migrant children unaccounted for, with fears they are currently being trafficked. We are simply not equipped to handle this disaster, yet Democrats continue to support policies that encourage illegal immigration and welcome these criminals with open arms.
While Alaska is over 2,000 miles from the southern border, the failures to secure it are felt every day in our streets. Drug-related deaths are rising rapidly in Alaska, with our children dying from fentanyl. Fifty percent of the flow of this deadly narcotic is coming across the Yuma border sector alone. We know cartels are directly targeting our state to increase the flow of deadly drugs for profit. It's devastating and infuriating to see this as a self-inflicted wound resulting from inept leadership and failed policies pushed by Joe Biden and Mary Peltola.
Our security, prosperity, and safety are all at risk. As your Congresswoman, my top priority will be to reinstate President Trump’s Remain in Mexico policy and finish the wall. Meanwhile, Mary Peltola continues to side with President Biden and leave our border wide-open. But now that it’s an election year, she will try to cover up her record on the border as she tries to cling to power.
It’s time to restore order to our border and stop this dangerous flow of criminals into our country. It’s only a matter of time before the warnings we are seeing about terrorists within our borders become reality.
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