Yuma County District 2 Supervisor Jonathan Lines spoke with Trump-endorsed Arizona attorney general nominee Abe Hamadeh at the Yuma border Monday morning, affirming that Vice President Kamala Harris’ recent claim that America currently has “a secure border” is in fact false.
“Absolutely and emphatically, there is no way that that is a true statement,” Lines said in reference to Harris’s comment.
Kamala Harris said on @MeetThePress we have a secure border. She’s lying. it’s NOT SECURE. I’m here now, in Yuma with @JWLines, this is a disaster. pic.twitter.com/YSfj0cKMTg
— Abe Hamadeh for Arizona AG (@AbrahamHamadeh) September 12, 2022
In his comments, Lines revealed that roughly 1,000 people come across the border at the Yuma sector on a daily basis. At the time of recording, over 100 people from 12 countries were in line to cross, 17 of which were allegedly from special interest countries.
Furthermore, he outlined a bit of the process experienced by immigrants coming to cross the Yuma border. From the border, immigrants are either processed at Border Patrol or laterally transferred to Tucson or Phoenix for processing at other stations. They are then released to non-government organizations, where they await further transportation to their final destination.
Hamadeh and Lines end the video by encouraging Harris to come to the Yuma border and witness firsthand that the border is not secure.
The comment under fire came from an episode of NBC’s Meet the Press, where host Chuck Todd asked the vice president if she would call the border secure.
“We have a secure border in that that is a priority for any nation, including ours and our administration,” Harris said.
However, she argued that the real problem with the border is a broken immigration system, and a path to citizenship plan is necessary to help the “millions of people who are here and are prepared to do what is legally required to gain citizenship.” Harris blamed people for “playing politics” in Congress as the reason that a path to citizenship law has not passed.
WATCH: The U.S. will have 2 million people cross its border for the first time. @VP Harris: “We have a secure border in that that is a priority. … But there are still a lot of problems that we are trying to fix given the deterioration that happened over the last four years.” pic.twitter.com/LoAd1ZNW5v
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) September 12, 2022
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services outlined the 10 steps non-citizens must undergo to become a U.S. citizen, including an Application for Naturalization, an interview, and an exam. The process can take between 18 to 24 months to complete.
Furthermore, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) also bashed Harris’s comment on Twitter, saying the Biden administration has no idea what is happening at the border.
“Border security is clearly NOT a priority for the Biden Administration. They have NO IDEA what’s happening at their nation’s southern border. Arizona will continue to fill the gap,” Ducey tweeted.
Border security is clearly NOT a priority for the Biden Administration. They have NO IDEA what’s happening at their nation’s southern border. Arizona will continue to fill the gap. https://t.co/3nVBE9CiHI
— Doug Ducey (@DougDucey) September 11, 2022
Ducey recently toured the Yuma border after the completion of an executive order, which outlined filling over 3,000 feet of a previously open border wall. Double-stacked shipping containers topped with concertina wire were used to fill the gaps, which Yuma Sheriff Leon Wilmot said have helped the sector.
“The border barrier helps put a stop to the revolving door for the cartels that has been the southern border,” said Leon. “Yuma area law enforcement has been greatly impacted and has dealt with an increase in trespassing calls, criminal damage cases, 911 calls for rescues in the desert, and 50 death investigations this year.”
Ducey said the shipping container plug is not a permanent solution but is still necessary to help ease the burden placed on the Yuma sector by the increase in immigration.
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Neil Jones is a reporter for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Neil on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Jonathan Lines” by Abe Hamadeh for Arizona AG.
