HEREFORD, Arizona (Border Report) – It was a year ago that Juan Ciscomani first brought a congressional delegation to witness the impact of illegal immigration on border communities in southern Arizona.
The lawmakers saw law enforcement overwhelmed by the sheer number of migrants being apprehended and processed, local jails packed with smugglers, and ranchers unsure about the intent of strangers walking through their property after coming over the border wall.
Ciscomani on Thursday again brought more than a dozen guests from Washington, D.C., to Arizona – this time the members of the Congressional Western Caucus and the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Asked what has changed in a year, U.S. Rep. Ciscomani, R-Arizona, replied: “It’s gotten worse.”
Over 1 million migrant encounters reported this fiscal year, sources say
U.S. Border Patrol encounters in the Tucson Sector of Arizona have increased 180%, high-speed pursuits of migrant and drug smugglers are happening daily, ranchland and public national parks are being polluted with soiled clothing, worn backpacks, and water and food containers abandoned by migrants.