AZ Lawmaker: We May Soon Need Border Wall With CA
Congresswoman Martha McSally, R-Ariz., suggested her state may need a border wall with California if its government continues to enforce sanctuary policies for illegal immigrants.
McSally, who is a candidate for U.S. Senate, made her remark during a Tuesday meeting at the White House concerning the public safety issues created by sanctuary cities.
The representative noted Arizona, unlike California, does not have sanctuary cities.
“It’s the policies of other states and other cities that are letting these criminals go and impact the rest of us,” McSally said, adding that the federal government clearly has the authority to enforce the nation’s immigration policies.
“As we look in Arizona, we often look into the dangers of the southern border,” the congresswoman stated. “But if these dangerous policies continue out of California, we might need to build a wall between California and Arizona as well.”
Her remark was intended to be tongue-in-cheek, but obviously designed to highlight the problem California is creating for other states.
“They cannot provide sanctuary for these criminals and think it’s only impacting California dangerously,” McSally contended. “It impacts the rest of us, because these criminals will move quickly to other jurisdictions. We have often MS-13 (gang) members who were arrested in Arizona, who came from California with previous criminal records…”
ICYMI: I was honored to participate in today’s @WhiteHouse roundtable w/President @realDonaldTrump & @mamendoza480 to discuss the public safety threat that sanctuary cities impose on communities everywhere, as tragically illustrated by the death of AZ Sgt. Police Officer Mendoza. pic.twitter.com/fgcIsHI33Y
— Martha McSally (@MarthaMcSally) March 21, 2018
The lawmaker offered the example of Mesa police officer Brandon Mendoza, who was killed in 2014 at the age of 32 by an illegal immigrant driving the wrong way on a Phoenix highway.
Raul Silva-Corona had a blood alcohol content three times the legal limit when he struck Mendoza. The officer’s mother, Mary Ann Mendoza, wrote an angry letter to then-President Barack Obama questioning why the federal government had allowed Silva-Corona to stay in the country, given his previous criminal convictions in Colorado stemming back decades.
“I am furious that the Federal Government allowed this criminal to stay in this country and KILL my son!” she wrote.
Mendoza, who was on hand at the Tuesday White House meeting, told President Donald Trump, “We have become collateral damage to their personal agendas, and it’s got to be stopped.”
In an interview with Fox News last week, McSally also took California to task for its dangerous sanctuary policies, offering the example of Kate Steinle, who was killed at age 32 by a criminal illegal alien in San Francisco in 2015.
I have always supported building a wall, but with @JerryBrownGov ’s liberal attitude on sanctuary cities, we might have to build a wall between Arizona and California to protect Arizonans pic.twitter.com/BAu9L96PaF
— Martha McSally (@MarthaMcSally) March 15, 2018
“States like California have very dangerous policies right now,” McSally said. “They shouldn’t be receiving federal assets if that’s the direction they want to take.”
The Arizonan has previously expressed her support for Trump’s proposed border wall, arguing “walls work.”
You don't need to look any further than AZ for evidence that #WallsWork. There were 138,438 illegal alien apprehensions in the Yuma Sector in 2005. After building a 23 mile wall, plus manpower & tech, Yuma saw an 82% decrease in illegal entries & 8,000% increase in drug seizures.
— Martha McSally (@MarthaMcSally) March 13, 2018
McSally pointed out in the western part of her state bordering California, “There were 138,438 illegal alien apprehensions in the Yuma Sector in 2005. After building a 23-mile wall, plus manpower & tech, Yuma saw an 82% decrease in illegal entries & 8,000% increase in drug seizures.”
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
