Photo: Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels
Cochise County, Arizona, Sheriff Mark Dannels said he’s never been able to meet with President Joe Biden or his border czar, Vice President Kamala Harris, the entire time they’ve been in office.
Biden, Harris and Congress aren’t helping his deputies, who are risking their lives fighting cartel crime, he said, adding “nobody’s listening.”
Dannels on Thursday welcomed to Arizona former President Donald Trump, who he said “was always there for us.” At a news conference in Montezuma Pass, Dannels described the dangerous conditions working at the Arizona-Mexico border and the cost to county residents.
“My community’s tired,” he said. “My community’s frustrated over the last three and a half years with what we’ve dealt with … when it comes to crime and the policies that have failed this country; the policies have failed our citizens, and the tragedies that my neighbors are addressing silently, because nobody’s listening.”
Over the last 31 months, his office booked 3,762 people in the county jail for border-related crimes.
“These are not immigration issues. These are border-related crimes, with double digit murders,” Dannels, who is also the chairman of the National Sheriff’s Association for Border Security, said.
The financial cost to county taxpayers is $12.5 million and they’ve received nothing from the federal government, he said.
He also described how under Biden-Harris, Arizona became the gateway for fentanyl smuggling, trafficking and distribution into the United States.
“When President Trump took office six years ago, you never heard much about fentanyl,” he said. Under the Biden-Harris administration, Arizona is the epicenter for fentanyl being smuggled into the country, he said. “You wonder where the epidemic is coming from, it’s the Mexican cartels who have been allowed to commit these crimes.”
The Center Square has for years reported on the increase of fentanyl pouring into the country and the efforts of local, state and federal agents to seize it nationwide and in Arizona.
In July, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents seized nearly 1,000 pounds of fentanyl in Nogales, Arizona, the largest seizure in CBP history. With two milligrams considered a lethal dose, the amount seized was enough to kill nearly 227 million people.
This is after Nogales CBP agents in June seized enough lethal drugs to kill 28.5 million people and after Tucson CBP agents seized enough fentanyl and methamphetamine to kill nearly 4 billion people in fiscal 2023.
In one federal operation, federal agents from CBP Tucson and Yuma sectors seized over one ton of fentanyl, enough to kill over 453 million people.
These busts exclude the record amounts local law enforcement are seizing, including hundreds of pounds of fentanyl and meth in single traffic stops that could kill entire towns.
They are making these busts despite staffing and funding shortages, Dannels said.
“Thanks to 51% of Congress, we have cut our DEA budget in this country. We have less DEA agents in Arizona than we ever had before, and we lead the nation with fentanyl.”
Despite lack of resources and less support, they’re still risking their lives to fight crime, he said. Along the mountain range nearby, he said a Border Patrol agent was attacked early in the morning by two migrants who illegally entered from Mexico “who tried to cut his throat.”
Near the Rio Grande River just behind them, he said, “we had the cartels trying to kidnap my deputies, my border team, to torture them. We had the cartel come across the border early in the morning to kidnap and kill one of my deputies because they’re allowed to think that way.”
In another instance, he described one of his deputies barely surviving being hit by a smuggler driving 100 miles an hour.
“My deputies, troopers, agents and officers in this county have endured more harm by the hands of the cartels and no one is addressing the cartels except local law enforcement and our agents and our troopers,” Dannels said.
Despite his best effort, calls to meet with the administration went unanswered, he said. “We had tried everything to meet with President Biden and Vice President Harris, the border czar” and nothing happened.
By contrast, “when President Trump was president, I was at the White House more than you could think of. He was always there for us,” Dannels said.
Turning to Trump, he said the Cochise County community “and our law enforcement professionals will never give up hope. To us, hope is confidence. Hope is commitment. Hope is courage and your visit today renews our hope.”
4 thoughts on “Cochise County sheriff on Biden, Harris and Congress: ‘Nobody’s listening’ – The Center Square”
Hey Sheriff Daniels,
Thank you for your dedication and service to the State of Arizona and your County.
When was the last time you sent a formal request for legal and law enforcement support from Governor Hobbs and her AG? You have to hold their feet to the fire to uphold their Oath of Office.
If you requests go unanswered send a copy to the Arizona Speaker of the House for possible action.
Keep up the good work Sheriff Daniels.
For some reason, people that don’t live near the border never hear about most of the border crimes. Sheriff Dannels message needs to be communicated wider than just the Prescott area. We tell our friends and family in the midwest about the border crimes, and they have never heard about them. Kudos to the sheriff and his deputies for doing a great job protecting the citizens of AZ. Too bad the white house keeps turning a blind eye.
How many citizens are watching the news? Reading Prescott E news? How many major news outlets even discuss the open border and all the misery and deaths it causes? Can you imagine a Border Patrol Officer, under the orders of Biden-Harris who needs his job to care for his family; having to deal with the dangers of the job that are much worse because of the policies of Washington, D.C. ?
As informed voters, we have been furious for years as Biden on day one of his stolen election ordered the stopping of the border wall being built. At the same time, their constitutional purpose was destroyed and a lax interview process instituted. 43 months have passes and 12-15 Million illegal aliens have crossed into America not counting those from select countries being flown in to undisclosed airports in America at our expense. So, how many citizens who watch captive TV even know this is going on or believe Biden-Harris are good people offering a new life of prosperity in our country? Now we see they may even be allowed to vote in November by even more fraud from a Biden-Harris administration that hates our constitutional republic that “Made America Great”.
As a citizen of the United States who pays out a lot in taxes each year to the government, I think we should all join together and sue the Biden administration for wasting our hard-earned tax money. Donald Trump spent a lot of time, effort, and yes, our dollars building a border wall to keep the illegals, criminals, terrorist, drug lords, and sex offenders out of our country and Biden/Harris stopped it and started tearing it down. I believe all American’s who paid taxes in the past four years are due a big refund. I would gladly sign any petition or document to hold our current government accountable. I agree with every last word that you wrote Tom Steele, thanks for telling it like it really is. Please get the word out that every single vote counts and to get out and vote for Donald J. Trump who WILL stop all of this madness. Lets all pray that justice is served on the corrupt Obama/Biden/Harris socialistic group.
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