Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the Democratic presidential candidate, visited the U.S.-Mexico border unexpectedly and stated that the current situation is unsustainable. Kennedy said that the issue could be resolved, but it requires an administration with the determination to tackle it.
As an example, Kennedy cited the need for “restoring the surveillance infrastructure that was mysteriously removed three years ago — there were cameras, there were camera towers, there were ground-sensing devices that were literally torn up that are being stored in a military base, that were part of the patrol infrastructure for the Border Patrol.”
According to Kennedy, the Biden administration has downgraded or removed several programs that required cooperation with the Mexican government. He added that this has led to a deterioration in the relationship with Mexico and the Central American countries. Kennedy believes that in order to stop the flow of immigration, it is necessary to have cooperative agreements with all of these countries.
“And it can be easily done,” he continued. “Everybody here is confident that it is manageable, but there’s no will at the federal level.”
According to his statement, he expressed optimism about finding a solution but described his recent visit to the border near Yuma, Arizona at a gap in the border wall as a “dystopian nightmare.” In a selfie video captured at 1:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Kennedy witnessed hundreds of migrants from different parts of the world, including West Africa, South Africa, and Central Asia, crossing the border.
“All together, people have come across right here from 117 nations in the last couple of years, Kennedy noted in the video. “In three years, in total 7 million people have come across the border illegally into our country. And from here, they’re brought to the Border Patrol station, where they’re processed. After four or five days, they’re released on their own recognizance into our country. And most of them are never seen or heard from again.”
Kennedy expressed shock at the multitude of countries that the migrants were coming from. He also stated that their stories were heartbreaking, and referred to the situation at the border as a humanitarian crisis, due to the perception that the border is open.
“Last night, we spoke to Uzbeks, Kazakhs, people from Azerbaijan, from Bangladesh. At one point, 60 people come across from Senegal. And they’re seeing advertising in their countries, seeing the sanctuary city programs. And there’s a huge industry that is making billions of dollars for the cartels in bringing people.”
“Last night there were Russians, and Chinese, there’s Ukrainians — it’s really extraordinary. It’s not what I expected at all. I expected Central Americans and Latin Americans. But these people are coming in from all over the world. But they’re bing drawn in by what they’re being told is an open border policy.”
Kennedy mentioned the possibility of reinstating Operation Streamline during a recent visit to the border. This was a policy in which illegal migrants were arrested, prosecuted, and quickly deported. He discussed this idea while meeting with local officials and observing Border Patrol agents.
Kennedy stated, along with Republican Mayor Doug Nichols of Yuma, Arizona, that the issue of the migrant crisis at the border should not be divided by political parties.
He added: “It should not be a partisan issue, and it should not be an issue that falls on these small municipalities or ultimately on these immigrants, and crushing the social services in New York and Chicago and other places. It’s a federal problem.”
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