FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:Contact: Brian Rogers
Wednesday, March 31, 2010 (602) 604-2010
McCAIN CAMPAIGN STATEMENT ON DISHONEST, DESPICABLE HAYWORTH ATTACK
PHOENIX, AZ – U.S. Senator John McCain’s re-election campaign today released the following statement by campaign Communications Director Brian Rogers on former Congressman J.D. Hayworth’s despicable attack on Senator McCain’s advocacy for putting National Guard on our Southern border:
"It is despicable and offensive that Congressman Hayworth would attempt to exploit a family's tragedy to score cheap political points. "The facts are clear: Senator McCain has called for deploying National Guard troops to the border for more than a year, and along with Senator Kyl, held a Homeland Security Committee field hearing in Phoenix on April 20, 2009, to focus attention on the critical need to stem the growing violence along our border and demand more be done.
"Congressman Hayworth should be ashamed of himself, because he clearly knows that what he's saying today simply isn't true. In fact, nearly a year ago, on April 20, 2009, Hayworth on his own radio show played footage of Senator McCain telling 12 News Phoenix that more resources were needed, including the National Guard, to secure the border.
"Congressman Hayworth's comments are disgraceful and dishonest, and demonstrate a candidate so consumed by political ambition that he'll say anything to anyone -- no matter how shameful or inaccurate.” -- McCain 2010 Communications Director Brian Rogers
FACT CHECK: Contrary To Congressman Hayworth’s Claim Today, Senator McCain Has Advocated Putting National Guard On The Border For More Than A Year:
More than a year ago, on March 26, 2009, Sen. McCain stated his support for deploying National Guard troops to secure the border and stem escalation of violence.
Statement By Senator John McCain
March 26, 2009
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) today released the following statement regarding sending additional National Guard troops to our border:
“In light of the requests by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer and Texas Governor Rick Perry and the continued escalation of violence, I support sending National Guard troops to assist with securing our southern border and stemming the flow of violence spilling over into the United States,” said Senator John McCain. On April 20, 2009, Sen. McCain, Sen. Jon Kyl and Homeland Security Chairman Joe Lieberman held a Senate Homeland Security Committee field hearing in Phoenix focusing on border security and deploying the National Guard.
Opening Statement of Senator John McCain
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
Field Hearing in Phoenix, Arizona
Topic: Southern Border Violence: State and Local Perspectives
April 20, 2009
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for coming to Phoenix to preside over this important field hearing and to hear first hand from Arizona’s local and state elected officials and law enforcement officers on the increasing violence along the U.S./Mexico border.
I appreciate those who were invited to testify, but unable to attend, including Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who submitted written testimony.
The committee is here today to hear from those who have the difficult job of securing the safety of the citizens of Arizona and the Nation despite the fact that our Southwest border is not yet as secure.
And as we know all too well here in Arizona, violence associated with illegal drug traffic by the Mexican drug cartels is a real problem and must be addressed. It is for that reason that I have joined the calls for the National Guard to be sent to the border.
I look forward to hearing out witnesses ideas on the how best to deploy the Guard and what other solutions they propose be taken.
Due to the unsecure border and the high demand for illegal drugs in the United States, the drug cartels’ activities are impacting the security of the United States and particularly border states like Arizona.
The City of Phoenix is now the kidnapping capital of the United States and second only to Mexico City for the most kidnappings in any city in the world.
The City of Nogales has seen several gun battles break out in broad daylight between Mexican police and the drug cartels just a couple of miles from the border.
The City of Tucson has seen its crime rate increase this past year, especially for property crimes and car thefts. Each of these instances can be traced to an increase of violence along the Mexican border and the high demand for illegal drugs within the United States.
For these reasons, I was pleased that the Administration announced last month the addition of more personnel to the Southwest border, increased intelligence capability and better coordination with state, local and Mexican law enforcement authorities.
But it is not enough. Instead, the United States has cut funding to the Mexican government for equipment, training and assistance promised as part of the Merida initiative. We have failed to stop the demand for drugs in the United States and been somewhat lax in preventing the transport of bulk caches of firearms to Mexico.
Just last week, the Administration denied Governor Brewer’s request for Federal support to add 250 more National Guard troops to be assigned at the border to the Joint Counter-Narcotic/Terrorism Task Force.
This is an unacceptable response and I hope our witnesses will further explain the ramifications of that decision.
I hope that the hearing today will highlight the outstanding work that our state and local officials are performing to provide for the safety of Americans despite the unwillingness in some instances of the Federal government to provide the necessary resources to assist Mexico in its efforts against the drug cartel violence and to secure the Southwest border from the flow of drugs, money laundering and illegal immigration.
We must do more, and the people at today’s hearing know that fact far better than I can attest—I am very eager to hear from them today. Additional federal action is urgently needed and in my judgment, our failure to do more puts at risk the safety and security of our citizens each and every day.
On April 20, 2009, Sen. McCain said
“Additional federal action is urgently needed,
including sending National Guard troops to patrol the border as supported by the state’s governor, Senator Kyl, and myself.”
From Senate Homeland Security Committee Press Release:
"Today the committee visited Arizona to hear directly from local and state elected officials and law enforcement officers who have the difficult job of securing the safety of the citizens of Arizona," said Senator McCain.
"Despite their outstanding efforts, the United States will not be safe until the Federal government secures the border. We must do more to stop the flow of drugs, money laundering, and illegal immigration across the Southwest border.
Additional federal action is urgently needed, including sending National Guard troops to patrol the border as supported by the state’s governor, Senator Kyl, and myself. The failure of the Federal government to secure the border puts the safety and security of Arizona’s citizens and our Nation at risk each and every day."
On July 24, 2009, Sen. McCain went to the Floor of the United States Senate to spotlight the increasing violence along the border, and addressing the need for National Guard to confront it:
Floor Statement of Senator John McCain On Southern Border Violence
July 24, 2009
Mr. President,
I come to the floor today to talk about the violence that continues to plague our southern border region by Mexico’s well armed, well financed, and very determined drug cartels.
Despite the increased efforts of President Calderon to stamp out these blood-thirsty and vicious drug cartels, violence has increased dramatically, claiming over 6,000 lives in Mexico last year alone.
The murderers carrying out these crimes are as violent and dangerous as any in the world. Many have extensive military training and carry out their illegal activities with sophisticated tactical weapons and no regard for human life.
Last week, The Washington Post reported that 12 Mexican federal agents were murdered and left alongside a mountain road in retaliation for the arrest of the leader of the country’s most violent drug cartel, La Familia.
According to the article, this act represents “the highest one-day death toll for federal forces in the three-year old drug war.” The article provides the deadly details of the violent attack reporting, “The attacks began at dawn on Saturday … shortly after the arrest [of] the right-hand man of La Familia founder Nazario Moreno Gonzalez.
After La Familia gunmen were repelled in their attempt to free [the leader,] they went on what police described as a shooting rampage to ‘avenge’ his capture.
The attacks, in which convoys of gunmen mounted surprise assaults on government positions in eight cities, went on for 10 hours Saturday and continued sporadically Sunday.”
The bodies of these brave law enforcement officers were accompanied by a note promising future violence from La Familia if the federal government continues its law enforcement efforts.
I remind my colleagues that this is the same drug cartel that, according to The Washington Post, “announced its presence two years ago by rolling five decapitated heads into a dance hall…”
Earlier this month, two American citizens with dual citizenship were dragged out of their homes and shot several times in the head in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. The reason?
According to the Associated Press, the victims “helped lead the town's approximately 2,000 inhabitants in protests against a May 2nd kidnapping. The residents refused to pay the $1 million ransom kidnappers requested and demonstrated in the Chihuahua state capital to demand justice.
Even after [the kidnapped victim] was released unharmed a week later, the [town’s] people continued to lead marches demanding more law enforcement in the rural, isolated corner of Chihuahua state. They also set up a committee to report any suspicious activities in town to police, quickly becoming an example for other Chihuahua communities.”
Yesterday’s Washington Post front page story about these events states, “Chihuahua today is the emblem of a failed state, run by incompetent authorities who have little ability to protect the citizens.” The violence that has terrorized Mexican citizens continues to seep across the border, devastating families and crippling communities.
In my hometown of Phoenix, there have been over 700 reported kidnappings in the past year. This has lead to Phoenix being declared the “kidnapping capital of the United States” second only to Mexico City in the world. In many cases kidnap victims are intertwined with criminal elements of society involved with illegal cross-border smuggling operations.
The Police Chief of Phoenix testified in April before the Senate’s Homeland Security Committee that Phoenix is a trans-shipment point for illegal drugs and smuggled humans -- both coming to Phoenix before being shipped to other points throughout the US. Immigrants illegally crossing the border with paid ‘coyotes’ are treated like expendable cargo to be bought, sold, traded, or stolen.
In many cases, the immigrants’ families are ransomed for additional funds by bajadores, or ‘takedown crews’ to guarantee safe delivery of their loved ones. As detailed in a Newsweek article from earlier this year, “kidnap victims have been found bound and gagged, their fingers smashed and their foreheads spattered with blood from pistol whippings.
When the bajadores abduct illegal immigrants – hoping to extort more money from relatives – they will sometime kill someone off immediately to scare the others . . . There was a case last year where they duct-taped the mouth and nose of one individual and had the others watch while he asphyxiated and defecated on himself.”
Aside from the horrible toll these cartels extract from their victims and the victims’ families, they also severely tax the resources of law enforcement agencies of border communities.
The Police Chief also testified that the Phoenix Police receive a kidnapping report almost every night, which can require the efforts of up to 60 officers to find, rescue, and protect kidnap victims. Lest you believe these activities are limited to border communities, last year the bodies of five Mexican men were discovered bound, gagged, and electrocuted in Birmingham, Alabama in an apparent hit by a Mexican cartel. In recent years, arrests of Mexican cartel members have occurred across the South, including Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia.
There is no sign that the number of these drug related arrests will abate in the near future, which is why I support efforts to complete the proposed 700-miles of double layer fence. But as we have seen, fencing alone fails to take into account the realities of the southern border and should not be treated as a panacea.
These criminal smuggling enterprises are very sophisticated and are not easily deterred, which is why we must work to truly secure our border – not merely fence it. This past weekend I visited the border in Yuma, Arizona and witnessed the extraordinary lengths these cartels go to smuggle their goods across the border.
One cartel spent upwards of $1 million, using sophisticated GPS directed drilling equipment to develop their tunnel far below the surface to move goods underneath fencing and out of sight of law enforcement agencies.
In Nogales, Arizona drug traffickers have used the city’s sewer system to channel drugs across the border. Every other month tunnels are discovered underneath the border. Since 1990, 110 cross border tunnels have been discovered. 24 tunnels were discovered in 2008 alone.
Not to be deterred, our outstanding law enforcement officials have developed investigative strategies and tunnel detection equipment to locate and identify subterranean cross border tunnels. We must also increase personnel on the border to put an end to illegal immigration and protect our citizens from the drug cartel violence occurring in Mexico.
For this reason, I was disappointed that the Administration rejected Arizona Governor Brewer’s request for 150-400 National Guard troops to
bolster the Joint Counter-Narcotics Terrorism Task Force. But as we know, the
‘coyotes’ are aggressive and creative despite our efforts to secure the border
with more personnel, more fencing and more surveillance technology.
The United States must keep its focus on securing our southern border and do all it can to assist President Calderon in his efforts against these violent drug cartels. The prosperity and success of Mexico is essential to the prosperity and success of our own country.
We share a border, our economies are intertwined and we are major trading partners with each other. The US must show its support for our neighbor to the South and support the Mexican people and the Calderon administration in this fundamental struggle against lawlessness and corruption.
Watch Sen. McCain on the Senate Floor, July 24, 2009
On March 29, 2010, Sen. McCain renewed his request to the President to send National Guard troops to the border.
March 29, 2010
The Honorable Janet Napolitano
Secretary
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Washington, DC
Dear Secretary Napolitano,
I am gravely concerned with the continued and apparently growing violence along our border with Mexico. Most recently, I was saddened and outraged to hear of the death of Robert Krentz, a longtime Arizona rancher who was found dead on his property near Douglas, Arizona. The federal government must do all it can within its power to curb this violence and protect its citizens from criminals coming across the border from Mexico.
For years, I have called on the President to send National Guard troops to the border in an effort to stop the flow of illegal
immigrants and narcotics. Most recently, I supported Governor Jan Brewer's request to place troops along Arizona’s border with Mexico.
Unfortunately that request was rejected by this Administration. A year later, in light of the recent incidents and the continued growth of drug violence along the border, I am asking you and the Administration to immediately reconsider your position and send National Guard troops to our southern border region. We must make the security of our borders one of our top national security priorities.
The United States must also do all it can to assist the Mexican government in its efforts to combat these violent drug cartels.
The prosperity and success of Mexico is essential to the prosperity and success of our own country. We share a border, our economies are intertwined, and we are major trading partners.
The U.S. must show its support for our neighbor to the south and support the Mexican people and the Calderon Administration in this fundamental struggle against lawlessness and corruption. The people of Arizona and the United States demand and deserve secure borders.
I hope that you will take a personal interest in ensuring that Arizonans can feel safe and protected on their own property and not live in fear of the increasing violence along the border. I look forward to a swift and decisive response to this situation.
Sincerely,
John McCain
U.S. Senator
Read Sen. McCain’s March 29, 2010 letter to Secretary Napolitano:
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