AZ GOP Gov Candidate Kari Lake Pledges to Seize Unused Fed Border Wall Materials and Finish the Job
Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake promised that if she’s elected, the state will seize unused border wall materials and finish the project begun under former President Donald Trump.
“When [President Joe Biden] abandoned Arizona, he left behind millions of dollars worth of materials. Taxpayers have already paid for this stuff — it belongs to US,” Lake tweeted Wednesday.
“The State of Arizona will seize these materials and finish the Wall ourselves,” she added.
When @JoeBiden abandoned Arizona, he left behind millions of dollars worth of materials. Taxpayers have already paid for this stuff — it belongs to US.
The State of Arizona will seize these materials and finish the Wall ourselves.
Learn more ⤵️https://t.co/lpwWwzKYbD pic.twitter.com/VzX4UImZ5v
— Kari Lake for AZ Governor (@KariLake) April 6, 2022
Lake offered further details on a policy page on her candidate website.
The former news anchor noted that the border wall currently covers about 245 miles of the 373 total miles that comprise the Arizona-Mexico border.
With more than 200 miles of border wall system in Arizona, Border Patrol agents are better positioned to stop illegal activity. In Yuma Sector, illegal entries plummeted over 87% in FY20 compared to FY19. pic.twitter.com/ggGhXv21bV
— CBP Mark Morgan (@CBPMarkMorgan) December 31, 2020
“Tribal and federal land comprises much of the remaining miles lacking a border wall. This will require separate actions to resolve,” Lake wrote.
“However, as governor, I will utilize every resource at my disposal to ensure the Legislature appropriates enough money to complete the estimated 18 miles of President Trump’s unfinished border barrier and to maintain its integrity moving forward,” she added.
Hundreds of steel bollards have sat unused since construction on Donald Trump’s wall stopped in the Guadalupe Canyon, Arizona. Trump’s big border wall is now a pile of rusting steel Worth at least a quarter billion dollars, the steel bollards are a relic of the Trump era. pic.twitter.com/5b2Dxrm3Vs
— Julio takamuri (@TakamuriJulio) December 21, 2021
Lake told Real America’s Voice on Wednesday that Arizona is currently being invaded by illegal migrants, as well as drug and human trafficking cartels, and that the invasion is going to get worse when the Title 42 public health order ends next month.
“It’s going to be an invasion unlike we’ve ever seen on our homeland since the founding of this great nation,” she said. “We are not ready for it. We need to do a lot more.”
AZ Gubernatorial Candidate @KariLake shares what governors can do to protect the southern border from the massive wave of illegal immigrants that are coming from all over the world because of Biden’s policies. #BidenBorderCrisis@RealDrGina #PrimeTime pic.twitter.com/vxnJ3DW0xX
— Real America’s Voice (RAV) (@RealAmVoice) April 7, 2022
In the Yuma sector of the southern border, near the Arizona-California line, border encounters were up 1,121 percent from Oct. 1, the beginning of the 2022 fiscal year, to the end of February compared to the same time period last year, according to Fox News.
There were 9,732 encounters in the Yuma sector in fiscal year 2021. There have been 118,887 so far this year.
[firefly_poll]
The Department of Homeland Security said last week that the number of migrants crossing the southern border daily is expected to hit 18,000 once Title 42 is lifted, according to The Washington Times. That translates to over 500,000 per month.
As governor, Lake stated that she would have the constitutional authority to address the problem, particularly when the federal government refuses to act.
“Our U.S. Constitution in Article IV, Section 4 requires that the federal government protect us. It’s the guarantee clause. They are not doing that,” she said.
“There’s a remedy right there in that brilliant document, the U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 10,” Lake continued. “If there’s imminent danger, we the states can protect ourselves from an invasion.”
I got a chance to see some of the steel we will be using to finish the wall.
We’re using Arizona products & Arizona labor to finish this project. Completion of the wall begins the day I am sworn in as Governor. #FinishTheWall pic.twitter.com/KlDnAjb08s
— Kari Lake for AZ Governor (@KariLake) March 22, 2022
“So when I’m governor, after I take my hand off the Bible for the oath of office, I’m going to issue a declaration of invasion. We’re going to finish President Trump’s wall.”
