April 30, 2024 3:50 a.m.
On Monday, a group of southern Oregon lawmakers visited the U.S. southern border in Yuma, Arizona.
State Representatives Christine Goodwin, Virgil Osborne, Court Boice, and Boomer Wright, and State Senator David Brock Smith learned about the impacts of what they believe is a crisis at the border.
State Representative Christine Goodwin said, “I can confidently speak for the group when I say it was surreal to see the crisis at the southern border up-close. Since Biden took office, an estimated 15 million migrants from 115 different countries have crossed the border illegally”. Goodwin said, “Many of these men, women and children are indentured to the cartels. Approximately 50 percent of all fentanyl in the United States comes across the border in Arizona. We cannot afford to sit on the sidelines and do nothing as this crisis gets worse”.
State Senator David Brock Smith said, “We have the technology to secure the border and deter the flow of illegal immigration and drugs into our communities. We cannot accept losing one more son or daughter. Oregonians are ready for drug free, safe communities”. Brock Smith said, “Instead of using every tool available, the Biden Administration has actively chosen to make this crisis worse by removing and limiting new technologies. It is incumbent upon the Oregon Legislature to take action where we can. This fact-finding trip has been invaluable in informing our next steps”.
In the afternoon, the group toured Amberly’s Place, a Yuma-based family advocacy center serving victims of child abuse – both physical and sexual, domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and elder abuse. Finally, they met with Robert Trenschel, CEO of the Yuma Regional Medical Center.
State Representative Virgil Osborne said, “Today, we learned that the cartels are the ones who really control the border. Border patrol has become mere processors. This is incredibly dangerous to all of us”. Osborne said, “When Democrats made Oregon a sanctuary state, we laid a welcome mat down for these smugglers, traffickers and ‘gotaways’. We must revisit our sanctuary state status and allow local law enforcement to work in coordination with immigration authorities. Our priority must be to protect our state”.