Border Crisis
New Mexico: GOP Candidate Aims to Form Border Task Force to Curb Immigrant Surge if Elected

Published
10 months agoon

According to a GOP candidate, as reported by Fox News, he would start a border task force if elected as New Mexico’s next governor.
Mark Ronchetti told Fox News, “We’re going to create that border enforcement force that will do two things. Number one, they’re going to go after the central flow in the state, and then number two, going to go after human trafficking here.”
Ronchetti, who previously worked as a journalist before entering politics, stated that the border force would include 150 officers. He said it would patch the cracks left by the federal government.
“We’re 600 border agents short in New Mexico in our sector of the border right now,” he said.
Ronchetti also mentioned that the border surge has had a hand in the increasing instances of drug overdoses and violent crime in New Mexico. He added that these problems will get worse if Title 42 is lifted.
Title 42 is a Trump-era policy that allowed federal officials to swiftly deport migrants in an effort to curb COVID-19 cases. The said policy is set to end on May 23, according to an announcement by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday. However, some lawmakers in Congress are trying to reverse this.
“Title 42 helped try to keep things somewhat under control here during the end of the Trump administration and through the beginning of the Biden administration,” the New Mexico candidate said. “But now what we’re seeing is, with the Biden administration trying to roll that back, there’s real concern here that we’re going to see more chaos on a border that is already overwhelmed,” he also mentioned.
In 2021, almost 2 million migrant apprehensions were recorded at the border. Apart from this, over 900,000 migrant encounters have already been recorded this year, as per the Homeland Security Department. If Title 42 is lifted, apprehensions could go up to over 18,000 per day, as per DHS officials.
“If you talked to ranchers on the border here in New Mexico, they’ll tell you it’s a nightly occurrence here that they’re dealing with people flowing through and over their property, leaving things behind,” Ronchetti stated.
New Mexico GOP Candidate: Fentanyl From Border Added to Instances of Violent Crime and Overdoses in the State
He said drugs that are going in from the border, more specifically fentanyl, have added to both violent crime and overdoses in his state.
“We’re the second-most violent state in the country,” he told Fox News. “Last year in Albuquerque, we set an all-time record for murders.”
In the past few years, the instances of drug overdoses have increased in New Mexico, with 776 recorded deaths back in 2020; this is a 54% increase compared to the numbers in 2016, as per a New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee report. In 2019, 51% of overdose deaths involved heroin while fentanyl contributed 33%, according to the state’s Health Department.
Up Next:

You may like
SIGN UP FOR BNA NEWSLETTERS

Over 1,000 Flights on Monday Gets Canceled Due to a Severe Winter Storm

New Poll Shows Trump Leading by Double Digits in Potential South Carolina Republican Race

5 Memphis Police Officers Charged With Second-Degree Murder Over Tyre Nichols’ Death

Texas Issues $224 Million Contract to Build 30-Foot Border Wall in Laredo Sector

GOP House Members Introduce Legislation to Repeal 1934 National Firearms Act

DOJ Files Lawsuit Against Google Over Digital Ads Practices

Coronavirus Worries Among Americans Dropping, Poll Finds

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo Places State ‘On Pause’ Tells Non-Essential Workers to Stay Home

Prominent BLM Activist Charles Wade Charged with Child Trafficking & Prostitution
Obama Is A Tyrant

COMMENTARY: Trump Has a Secret Weapon, the Democratic Party

US Military Plane Crashes in Afghanistan with 5 Onboard
International Women’s Day: Conservative Women Throughout History
This Refugee Wouldn’t Last Long In America

DeSantis calls Special Session to Ban Private Sector Employee Vaccine Mandates

WATCH: Donald Trump, Melania Trump Cheered at National Championship Game

WATCH: Pompeo Joins ‘Fox & Friends’ After US Airstrike Kills Top Iranian General

WATCH: Kanye West Brings Inmates and Guards to Tears During Surprise Gospel Concert at Texas Jail

WATCH: Trump Receives Standing Ovation at Alabama Football Game

WATCH: Taco Bell Foundation Surprises Worker With Scholarship Money
