CLAY: We are now joined by the attorney general of Arizona. He is fighting battles every day for so many people out there in the state of Arizona, including in Phoenix where we have one of the biggest audiences listening to radio in the country, number one in that market. Attorney General Brnovich, let’s just start right here. If and when Title 42 is no longer in force, what do you expect to happen in the state of Arizona, and what are you trying to do to fight against the repeal of Title 42?

BRNOVICH: Well, a tidal wave of destruction will impact our southern border, and it’s got nothing to do with climate change. And don’t just take my word for it. The Biden administration themselves have said that we will see 18,000 people a day trying to illegally enter our country. Now, think about it. You got the basketball playoffs going on right now. That’s like the equivalent of one of those arenas every single day illegally entering the United States.

And you’re talking about the price of drugs dramatically falling, impact the social welfare system. Literally Americans will die and our country will be forever changed as a result of the lawlessness at our southern border. Title 42, as you guys know, is one of the only things left for making this crisis even worse, and that’s why I was very proud to lead the charge. Our lawyers are in federal court arguing that the Biden administration cannot rescind Title 42 at this time.

BUCK: So AG Brnovich, appreciate you being with us. What should they…? Put aside what they will do, ’cause I think we all know it’s gonna be a disaster. But what should they do? Meaning, an extension of Title 42 until when and until what measures are in place, right? I mean, that’s one part of this discussion, I know, ‘cause you can’t have Title 42 forever, right? At some point one would think this authority would have to expire, realistically. So, I mean, do we have metrics for when that should be, and what needs to be put in place so that it doesn’t result in the flood of illegal crossing that everybody’s expecting right now?

BRNOVICH: Well, once again, put this all in context is that Title 42 can’t be looked at as in isolation. You’re right. It was a common sense public health policy, but now it’s one of the only tools law enforcement has to deal with the historic border crisis. So this didn’t begin and end with Title 42. This began literally on the day Joe Biden was inaugurated when he stopped building a border wall and we had to sue him over that.

Remember when he implemented that what they call temporary and it was permanent guidance where the Biden administration refused to deport people, deportation orders? More than a million people in this country including people being released from prisons and jails. We had to sue ’em over that and there’s been ongoing litigation. I was with the U.S. Supreme Court in February arguing when the Biden administration tried to rescind the public charge rule where they want to give government benefits to noncitizens, what I call the incentivization of illegal immigration.

So the problem is what we have seen over the last year and a half since Joe Biden took office is a systematic attempt to undermine the rule of law and to undermine not only literally statutes, but to undermine policies in formal government rules in and that he thinks that were implemented that were actually having a real effect on illegal immigration. So, yeah, Title 42 is one tool in the toolbox. It wasn’t meant to be permanent. But I think we all recognize that if Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Secretary Mayorkas revoke Title 42 at this time, he is setting up the Southwest for the biggest invasion since the Alamo.

CLAY: What are you seeing on the ground in Arizona we get basically six months out from the midterms? What do you from Arizona which is a huge battleground to look like come November 8th?

NEW: Our drone video of the enormous group that just crossed illegally into private property here in Eagle Pass, TX 1 hour ago. This has happened here every day in the last week. A TX soldier tells us there have been 2,000+ crossings in this specific spot in last 8 days. @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/0Tp2XBoiz9

— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) May 16, 2022

BRNOVICH: Well, as someone who grew up here in Arizona — you know, I’ve lived here, I still live in my same neighborhood I grew up in — is people want security. It’s all about security. And that means border security and economic security. And, folks, here, you know, wherever they live in the state recognize that whether it’s at the gas pump, whether it’s at the grocery store, or whether it’s the gangs that have increased their presence in our neighborhoods, this is all a result of the failed policies of Joe Biden, Secretary Mayorkas, Kamala Harris, and “Cartel Kelly.”

And so I think there’s a lot of great anger and frustration with what’s going on. And really when it comes to especially security, border security, this is when the federal government’s at its apex of power, where the president is supposed to be protecting us and guarding us. And instead, we’re not only seeing a record amount of people illegally cross the border which strains our social services.

We are now seeing a dramatic decrease in the price of fentanyl, in the price of methamphetamine. And I will tell you as a former gang prosecutor, we know if the cartels make more money off drugs, they become more powerful, and we know that more people are going to die. Someone’s niece, nephew, son, daughter, is going to die as a result of the flood of methamphetamine that’s coming not only into Arizona, but it’s also spreading throughout the United States. And so we talk about security, safety in our neighborhoods and we talk about the ability of hardworking, middle-class Americans to be able to fill up their car with gas and not have to take out a college loan.

NEW: Border Patrol is building a new “soft sided” tent compound here in Eagle Pass, TX, as Title 42 is set to drop in one week. It is meant to increase holding capacity & speed up processing, but BP sources tell me they are pulling agents from across sector to staff it. @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/LHff8in5oS

— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) May 16, 2022

BUCK: Speaking to Attorney General Mark Brnovich from the state of Arizona. Mr. Attorney General, tell me, what could be done to clean up the situation? You mentioned the cartels, you mentioned fentanyl overdoses — 107,000 overdoses, fatal overdoses nationwide last year. I’m sure tragically a large percentage of fatal overdoses occurred in Arizona. That’s long the border. So how do you crack down effectively? You’re talking about safety. People need safety. What would you do? If you were to win a Senate seat, for example, what would you like to see change?

BRNOVICH: Well, A, I’m going to win the Senate seat, and we need to have a realistic and holistic approach and so, one, we look at what’s going on with our judiciary, even our Supreme Court, making sure that we appoint and confirm judges that understand the rule of law and that they’re not there to be policy makers, but they’re there to enforce the law. We need to make sure that we are supporting our law enforcement officials.

And that means making sure that, you know, we don’t demonize them and that we don’t try to stigmatize people that are just doing their jobs. And we need to make sure that we have the resources and the willpower available to enforce existing laws when it comes to our southern border; and so that literally means we gotta deport people with deportation orders. We have to make sure that we continue to build the border wall.

We have to make sure that we’re, you know, especially the local level, the state level — prosecutors — we want to find make sure that people that break the law are arrested and punished and that we have a judicial system that enforces the law as it’s supposed to be, and I think that part of the problem we’ve had is that you send people to Washington, D.C., that just want to get reelected.

And they want to continue to grow the size and the scope of the federal government and next thing you know we have the federal government involved in education and trying to ram krill down our kids throats and that’s not the role of the federal government. But when it comes to issues like border security and national security, that is where we need the federal government to focus its time and resources.

BUCK: Attorney General Mark Brnovich of Arizona and Senate candidate. Appreciate you being with us, sir.

BRNOVICH: Thanks a lot, guys. Hey, what about my walkup music?

CLAY: (laughing) What would you pick?

BRNOVICH: Oh, I don’t know. Like, maybe some Grateful Dead or Rush — Limelight — Kid Rock?

CLAY: Have you ever gotten a cease and desist — ’cause I know this happens to a lot of politicians when you’re doing rallies and you use music that you like but the politicians — I mean the musicians decide they don’t like you, has that happened to you or you heard of that happening in Arizona?

BRNOVICH: No, but I think the key is you gotta go with folks like Toby Keith, Kid Rock, or the Grateful Dead, where they don’t get hung up on that stuff.

BUCK: Or Lit, for example, Mr. Brnovich?

CLAY: Or lit, which is why we picked it —

BRNOVICH: (laughing)

CLAY: — becuase we know that they’re going to love this music for decades to come.

BUCK: I was gonna say, we could send him a playlist, but it’s like I’m burning him a CD or something. Hey!

CLAY: (laughing)

BRNOVICH: Burning for You. That’d be a good walkup song! But, yeah, maybe the Blue Oyster Cult would stop me from playing it. I don’t know.

BUCK: All right. AG Brnovich, everybody. Thanks for hanging with us, sir. Good to talk to you.

BRNOVICH: All right. Right on. Thank you. Bye-bye.