Over 200 sheriffs from dozens of states called on President Joe Biden last week to finish former President Donald Trump’s border wall amid an unprecedented surge of illegal immigration at the United States-Mexico border.
In an April 7 letter signed by 275 sheriffs from 39 states, law enforcement warned about the “dangerous impacts” of the Biden administration’s border policies that are allowing hundreds of thousands of immigrants to cross into the U.S. illegally, overwhelming U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which apprehended a record 172,331 illegal immigrants in March alone.
“America’s Sheriffs are deeply troubled about the dangerous impacts your administration’s border policies are having on our citizens, legal residents and communities,” the letter stated. “You must act now before our nation’s public safety resources are overwhelmed with the criminal side effects of unchecked illegal immigration, including transnational gangs, guns, dangerous drugs and human trafficking.”
The letter asserts that Biden’s relaxed border policies will expose more families to “the violence associate with drug trafficking and transnational gangs.
“More parents will suffer the loss of their children, not because they were irresponsible, but because of exposure to criminal illegal alien violence caused by the reckless and irresponsible policies of your administration,” it said.
The sheriffs went on to accuse the Biden administration of “encouraging and sanctioning lawlessness” and intentionally generating the border crisis, in addition to victimizing Americans for illegal immigrants.
“In the interests of ending the undermining of our laws and the increased risks to the safety and security of the people of the United States of America, we respectfully request that you immediately reverse course on your pro-illegal immigration policies, resume the border wall construction, and embrace the common-sense, public-safety-supporting border policies of the previous administration,” the letter stated.
Last week, President Biden’s Department of Homeland Security said it may restart construction on the U.S.-Mexico border wall to fill the “gaps” in the current barrier, according to comments made by DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, The Washington Times reported.
During a discussion with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Secretary Mayorkas told ICE employees that President Biden has left “room to make decisions” on filling in “gaps in the wall,” despite his day-one move to end the emergency declaration on the border and his decision to halt funding to Trump’s border wall construction project.
“America’s Sheriffs believe that the citizens we serve have an absolute expectation that our efforts will be rooted in public service rather than political self-service. This fundamental distinction is the only path forward to a safer, more prosperous nation,” the letter continued.
“America’s Sheriffs stand ready to work with you and your administration if you are willing to move in the right direction. Until that time, all of us will continue to uphold our oaths, enforce our sovereign authorities, fight for public safety, and keep our promises to the American people who have placed their trust in us.”
