When Vice President Kamala Harris visited Arizona’s border county of Cochise on Friday, she was greeted by Sheriff Mark Dannels, who had a message of both conciliation and harsh reality.
While Dannels acknowledged Harris’ visit as a positive step, his overall reception was a tough reminder of the consequences of the Biden-Harris administration’s border policies.
With Harris seen as a potential future president, Dannels’ words carried weight, underscoring the real challenges faced by border communities.
In an interview with the U.K.’s Daily Mail, Dannels expressed his cautious optimism about Harris’ visit, saying, “If we’re not engaging, we’re not talking, we can’t solve it.”
He welcomed the visit as a sign of potential dialogue, but it was clear that his praise was tempered by the gravity of the situation.
He intended to hand Harris a letter outlining the devastating impact of the current administration’s border policies, urging her to take action not only as the sitting vice president but also as a possible future president.
Dannels stated, “If she is elected as president, hopefully this will be a foundation that she’ll remember, because I want to share our tragedies, I want to share our reality with her.”
The letter, he explained, would ensure Harris could not claim ignorance of the situation should she fail to address the border crisis in the future.
While Dannels’ approach appeared diplomatic, the underlying message was clear: the Biden-Harris administration’s border policies have created significant challenges for border counties like Cochise.
These areas have borne the brunt of the illegal immigration crisis, which Dannels has consistently spoken out against. His letter was not just a reminder of the struggles but also a preemptive indictment of Harris’ future leadership should she ignore the ongoing crisis.
Harris’ visit, however, did little to indicate she had learned much from the situation on the ground.
According to the Associated Press, she met with local officials, including Dannels, before delivering a speech that seemed disconnected from the current realities at the border.
Harris emphasized that it was a “false choice” to suggest that securing the border and creating an orderly, safe, and humane system were mutually exclusive goals. “We can and we must do both,” she stated.
For many, including Sheriff Dannels, Harris’ remarks felt like recycled talking points from the past. Prior to President Joe Biden’s administration, former President Donald Trump had made significant strides in securing the border, working with Mexico to create a more controlled and humane system.
However, the Biden-Harris administration reversed many of those policies, leading to what Dannels and others describe as a crisis of illegal immigration.
Dannels’ letter to Harris, while not a traditional gift of welcome, was a symbolic gesture meant to underscore the severity of the situation.
It served as a written record of the Biden-Harris administration’s failures at the border, placing the responsibility squarely on their shoulders.
While Harris’ political team might view Dannels’ remarks as partisan criticism, the sheriff’s words represent the frustrations of those living in the border regions, who have had to deal with the consequences of federal inaction.
The illegal immigration crisis, which has overwhelmed border counties and spilled into cities like New York, Chicago, and Boston, has been a disaster for both Democratic and Republican-led areas.
For officials like Dannels, reminding Harris of the crisis she helped create was not just a political statement—it was a plea for action.
Whether Harris chooses to address the situation or not, the truth remains, and it stings for those responsible for its escalation.
