Cochise, Yuma sheriffs detail U.S.-Mexico border realities: 'Ugliest I've ever seen it'

The Arizona House of Representatives hosted a special joint session on the situation at the southern border on Wednesday, Jan. 17.

Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels told the Arizona Legislature that from a humanitarian standpoint, and a public safety standpoint, there's a problem at the U.S.-Mexico border for all involved.

"I've seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of this border after four decades, and right now it's the ugliest I've ever seen it," he said. "I didn't drive 180 miles to share my politics with you. I came to share a reality of a community and what we're dealing with on this border here in Cochise County, to include throughout the nation."

Sheriff Dannels and Yuma County Sheriff Leon Wilmot both stressed to the legislators the drug smuggling and human smuggling numbers that continue to rise from cartels in different states across Mexico.

"My son was actually involved in a shooting with the cartels where they tried to kill him, and he shot and killed one of them. The next day, they called my office and said, 'Tell the sheriff they called from Mexico. We're going to kill him,'" Sheriff Dannels said.

One of the largest burdens for local law enforcement, according to the sheriffs, is money. Personnel and resources are coming from the counties and the sheriff's departments.

"Right now, we're working on those ten known smuggling houses, stash houses, for lack of a better term. A big part of what we have to deal with are the rapes, robberies and the homicides. Deaths in the desert. Doing rescues. Like I said, the cartels exploit the weaknesses," Sheriff Wilmot said.

$70,000 a year is what Yuma County pays for mobile restrooms so migrants don't defecate in their produce fields. It was previously happening and farmers were unable to harvest crops.