By Rob Crilley, Senior US Political Writer at Dailymail.Com, Yuma, Arizona
00:08 May 12, 2023, 00:42 Updated May 12, 2023
- Sheriff Leon Wilmot is on the front lines of border crisis in Yuma, Arizona
- He blamed Mr. Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorcas.
- “There is a lack of leadership at the highest levels of government,” he said.
- Yuma Mayor Calls on Biden to Declare National Emergency at Border
The sheriff of Arizona, where the country’s immigration crisis is at its worst, on Thursday accused the Biden administration of being unprepared for the end of Title 42.
“This is a cluster,” Sheriff Leon Wilmot said in an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com.
He said border guards detained about 1,200 people on Wednesday and plans to do the same on Thursday.
This is part of an expected surge in immigration as the United States eases stringent public health restrictions and millions of arrivals could be deported immediately without even applying for asylum. rice field.
On Thursday, Yuma Mayor Douglas Nichols called on President Joe Biden to declare a national emergency at the southern border.
Wilmot also said the lack of preparation means President Joe Biden cannot enforce existing border laws, and in nearby Cochise County, overwhelmed authorities have already forced residents onto the streets without due process or court dates. said he was released.
He is particularly furious with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorcas, who claims the United States is stepping up its response.
“A good leader faced with a situation like this would set up the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), provide emergency funding for ICE, and set up shelters in temporary buildings to ensure proper processing. would have dealt with all of this,” he said. He said.
“He didn’t do any of that, so he has no plans.
“His plan is clearly intentional to get everyone into this country and track millions of people for years to come.
“This administration is pushing the wrong narrative on the American people.”
The scale was evident in Yuma even before the sun rose on Thursday morning. More than 300 people waited in line to register as border guards as buses carrying migrants arrived and departed.
Many were from Peru. However, the arrivals also included people from China, Georgia, Uzbekistan and the African country of Mauritania.
Wilmot said this poses a security risk, not just to his community, but to communities across the country that advertised themselves as sanctuary cities.
About 4,000 people are currently detained in Yuma, he said, far exceeding the capacity of local authorities.
Wilmot has been Yuma’s Sheriff since 2013, putting Yuma on the front lines of the crisis.
The county has long been known as a popular border point where cartels pay to lure people to the border here.
The sheriff was patrolling the border late Wednesday night when his Ford Raptor truck got a flat tire.
DailyMail.com followed him as he fitted new tires the next day and prepared for the end of Title 42.
“This is the problem of this administration,” Wilmot said. “The president needs to enforce the rule of law. Period.
“It is absolutely infuriating to see the lack of leadership at the highest levels of government.
Sheriffs are doing everything they can, he added.
“We are on the job. I have already told my men to arrest anyone who trespasses on someone’s property.
“100% of people who violate state law will be prosecuted.”
Mr Mayorkas has previously argued that even with the end of Title 42, newcomers will not receive lenient treatment. It simply meant that immigrants would be processed under Title 8, and new regulations meant that most people could only enter if they booked through an app. he added.
“What do you mean by this,” he said. “If anyone arrives at the southern border after midnight tonight, they will be presumed ineligible for asylum and face harsher sanctions for illegal entry, including a minimum five-year re-entry ban and possible criminal prosecution. become.”
Do not listen to those who offer the way to the Promised Land, he added.
“Know this, smugglers only care about profit, not people,” he said.