Representative Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) spoke out against the Trump Administration's proposal to increase checkpoints along the southern border in a recent statement.
The Context
In late August, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced plans to expand its I-19 facility near the town of Amado, which has become controversial as Santa Cruz County officials have already voiced their opposition.
Part of the opposition, as Supervisor John Fanning emphasized, is that the proposed I-19 facility is far enough from the border to be more of a hindrance than a help.
"We support strong border security to combat drug trafficking, human smuggling, other criminal activity. I want to make sure people understand that," said Fanning, adding, "We've always supported border security. We just want that border security as close to the international border as possible."
Grijalva's Response
"CBP is proposing to spend tens of millions of taxpayer dollars expanding and establishing new checkpoints while refusing to provide the public with basic answers about why these projects are necessary in the first place," said Rep. Grijalva in a press release. "DHS and CBP have more money than they know what to do with thanks to the more than $200 BILLION in new funding that Congressional Republicans have appropriated. At a time when working families are struggling to get by, this is an outrageous waste of taxpayer dollars."
She emphasized that "if the Trump administration was serious about border security, some of these resources would be going towards modernizing our ports of entry by improving staffing and infrastructure, especially considering that the overwhelming majority of illicit fentanyl seized by DHS is intercepted at our ports."
"I stand firmly with the residents, farmers, workers, businesses, and local leaders who are fighting this expansion," she affirmed. "I will continue to push back against these projects and against the idea that federal agencies can come into our communities, spend tens of millions of taxpayer dollars on wasteful projects, and simply ignore the people who will have to live with the consequences."
