GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — If Michigan is a swing state, border security is a swing topic. Both Republicans and Democrats call it a priority but can't agree on how to solve the issue.
“To say we've seen a major impact by the open borders is probably an understatement," said Van Buren County Sheriff Daniel Abbott.
Illegal crossings have become a crisis Michigan is not immune to in the eyes of Abbott and other state leaders. He, along with other county sheriffs and lawmakers, aired out their frustrations Thursday.
“I would submit to you that our southern border is a three-legged stool for law enforcement," said Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole. "It's a national security threat; it is a humanitarian crisis and it's a criminal enterprise.”
On a joint call organized by the Michigan GOP, they said, in Fiscal Year 2023, more than 900,000 illegal immigrants apprehended at the border were temporarily released into the U.S. as they awaited court dates.
That's confirmed by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Although, CBP reports July encounters were down 32% from June, the lowest monthly total since September 2020.
“We need to do everything that we can to secure the borders, one. And then, two, start figuring out where these folks are at and getting them a ride back to where they came from," said Livingston County Sheriff Mike Murphy.
Like many other Americans, they linked these illegal crossings to an uptick in crime.
“They're not just committing little simple misdemeanors," said Abbott. "They're committing heinous crimes that not only affects the victim, it affects our community that, you know, resonates throughout it.”
Fentanyl is the leading cause of death among those ages 18–45 in America, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Michigan Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt said 3,000 pounds of fentanyl was seized at the southern border in July alone.
“That's just what's being seized, with only 5–10% being intercepted as border officials struggle to contain the smuggling," said Nesbitt.
The CATO Institute reports, in 2023, 93% of fentanyl seizures occurred at legal crossing points.
In February, Republicans blocked a bipartisan border package, believing Trump's promise to immediately carry out the largest deportation in American history if elected, and more, is the better option.
“He will complete the border wall, shift massive portions of federal law enforcement, immigration enforcement, use advanced technology to secure the border and reinstate the Remain in Mexico Policy and enforce laws that are currently on the books," said Nesbitt. "It can be done today, but the Biden-Harris administration refuses to do it.”
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