AZ AG Brnovich with the Latest on the Border

BUCK: The border, still a mess. Got-away numbers are stratospheric. Border Patrol just trying to do their best every day but overwhelmed with a situation that is really the creation of the Biden regime, which is to incentivize illegal crossing, to make it very likely that if you come illegally, you can get in, and once you’re in, you’re definitely gonna be able to stay. That is the cost-benefit analysis for people breaking our laws at the border. We’ve got the attorney general of Arizona with us now, Mark Brnovich, he’s also running for a Senate seat in Arizona. He’s part of that primary. AG Brnovich, good to have you back, sir.

BRNOVICH: Hey, thanks, guys, for having me on.

BUCK: So, what is the latest? ‘Cause the American people care about the border, they understand that with a Biden regime that is sending people via plane all over the country, that illegals coming across the border aren’t just an issue for border states. But clearly, you’re seeing it on the front lines. What’s the latest?

BRNOVICH: Well, as we’ve discussed before, every state is a border state now because America is being overrun not just by the cartels and the migrants but by the lefty radicals who have taken control of Biden’s presidency. And we’re seeing the consequences of that every day. Whether you want to measure it in terms of more than three million people that have illegally entered the country, whether it’s the 800,000 got-aways, whether it’s the record amount of fentanyl flowing across our border. Just this fiscal year more than 8,000 pounds, guys. That’s enough fentanyl to kill the entire United States, potentially.

So, every state now — and then you throw on top of it people on the terror watch list, this actually has the notorious distinction of maybe Joe Biden’s worst ineptitude and really has put him in a class when you measure what’s happening with our economy and what he’s done to cede control of our southern border to the cartels is the greatest threat to America right now is the Biden presidency. And one just example of this hypocrisy that I pointed out; you literally have immigrants coming across the border that are unvaccinated. And, meanwhile, someone like Novak Djokovic one of the greatest tennis players in the history of tennis and the number one ranked tennis player can’t get into the United States to play a sporting event in New York. That just demonstrates how crazy and out of touch Joe Biden’s policies are.

BUCK: And it seems like no matter what the numbers are, there is no effort at the federal level to try to make the situation at the border better. In fact, from what we’ve seen in recent months, states like Texas and Arizona have tried to supplement the let’s say lackluster border security efforts of the federal government. And the Biden regime basically says, don’t do that, right? They won’t even… It’s not just that they won’t do the job and make it really hard for Border Patrol to do their jobs, they don’t want anyone else to help out.

BRNOVICH: Yeah, and that’s the problem is that I’ve actually issued the first opinion in the country saying that what’s happening at our southern border constitutes an invasion, and I urge people to read that because the federal government is at its apex of power when it comes to national security and border security. And there’s been case laws, including cases out of Arizona where the Supreme Court has said when it comes to enforcing border, it’s up to the Feds. But, but, but, the U.S. Constitution provides that the federal government guarantees a federal form of government and that we are supposed to be protected against invasion.

And so, when states are invaded and the federal government won’t do its job, then states can step in and do something, erect barriers, arrest and detain people that are part of that invasion. But here’s the problem. Literally states like Texas and Arizona are spending hundreds of millions of dollars. And it’s not fair because this affects not only Arizona and Texas, but it affects the entire United States, whether it’s people on the terror watch list, whether it’s the record amount of drugs coming in, or whether it’s the millions of people.

I just mentioned three million people — that’s like the entire population of Kansas just since Joe Biden’s been president — that has come over illegal in the United States. And Joe Biden is not only giving them hotel rooms and the toughest choice is whether they want a single or double bed but he’s also giving them airfare and he’s given them access to government benefits. So, we are paying the cost not only out of our taxpayer dollars, but we are paying the cost in human lives and human treasure as a result of the failure of Joe Biden to do his job and secure our border.

BUCK: We’re speaking to AG, Attorney General Mark Brnovich of Arizona. He’s running in that Senate primary as well on the Republican side in Arizona. So, is today voting day, by the way?

BRNOVICH: It is. I would remind people to get out and vote, and we need a principled, rule-of-law conservative and folks like Mark Levin and Sean Hannity have endorsed me because they know I’m the guy that can beat Mark Kelly.

BUCK: By the way, I wanted to ask you about this. There was a piece earlier in the Washington Post talking about Yuma and the illegal immigrant situation there. They talk about, quote, the polyglot queue in Yuma of what authorities call give-ups presented a jarring contrast to the wild chases happening about 300 miles further east along the border. Under a blazing afternoon sun in Nogales a day earlier, young men from Mexico climbed on the border wall every few minutes.

But it goes on and on to effectively talk about people just turning themselves in, just they walk up to Border Patrol, and they say, this is in Yuma, “Hey, here we are! Take us in.” What happens now? Just so everyone understands, if someone waves down Border Patrol and says, “Okay. I’m here to surrender,” which just means basically, “Bring me a sandwich and water and process me,” and I’ve seen that happen. But in Arizona right now, what happens next?

BRNOVICH: This is literally what’s happening at our southern border. And I’ve been there, I’ve seen it. I just actually was talking to the mayor earlier today, I’ve talked to the ranchers, farmers down there. So, you’ll have groups of migrants come over with their backpacks, with their purses, with their carry-on luggage. I mean, literally you will get more of a hassle going through the airport at TSA than people that are illegally entering our country right now. So, groups of migrants come over. Border Patrol will go over, they process them; then if they process them, they’ll take them out of the field.

And then they’ll take them over to ICE/ DHS for processing where they basically are given paperwork and told to report somewhere, and then they’re let out into our country. And so, one of the lawsuits we have is that ICE will not pick up people that are being released from custody and that have deportation orders. There’s more than a million people right now with deportation orders that ICE is refusing to deport, that are just being released into our community.

And then we also know, while Border Patrol is out in the field processing those individuals, the cartels then are having the smugglers and the coyotes bring across drugs and all sorts of fentanyl, methamphetamine, all that stuff while Border Patrol is busy processing people that have broken the law and come into our country. So, the Biden administration has incentivized and decriminalized people breaking the law. And as they’re doing that, as the agents are busy processing them, the cartels take advantage of it and literally they’re smuggling drugs across.

And that’s why you’re seeing an increase in high-speed pursuits and other parts… You know, you mentioned Nogales and other parts of places like Cochise County, even in Pinal County, which is just north of the border, because then the cartels are using that opportunity to bring in massive amounts of drugs into our country. And they’re not… It’s not staying here in Arizona. This is methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin. It comes here in Arizona and then it’s distributed throughout the country.

BUCK: I wanted to ask you also just with the upcoming midterms… I know you’re up today for the primary for a Senate seat in Arizona, as a Republican. But going into the midterms in general, how is Arizona looking, you think, for the GOP overall? Obviously, it got a lot of attention in the last election cycle. A lot of it not good. But how do you think it’s trending right now? And what were some of the dynamics that you think will play out for the Senate seat you’re running for but also any congressional seats that are up? And of course, the governor’s race?

BRNOVICH: Well, look. In the Senate race I think we all recognize that Mark Kelly does not represent Arizona values. And I’m someone that’s actually won twice statewide. I got more votes than Sinema or McSally in 2018 even though I was outspent. And so, Arizonans have a long history of rejecting self-funders, and we also have a long history of you know, splitting ballots. So that’s why in 2018, for example, you had me winning statewide and Kyrsten Sinema also won statewide, where you had a Republican governor winning but then the secretary of state went to the Democrats.

And so, candidates do matter in Arizona. But I always say that when you have people that can articulate, stand up and defend conservative values, we can win. And so, we had that long history, that long streak here of Arizona of that Barry Goldwater spirit of healthy distrust of the federal government. You know, we believe in federalism and we believe in freedom. And candidates that can articulate and defend those values can win, and I think that’s, as I said in 2018, while —

BUCK: Before I let you go, Mark, I just gotta ask you — we were talking about it a minute ago — is Sinema gonna go along with this Manchin-Schumer bill? Any doubt in your mind about that?

BRNOVICH: I have no idea. I think that it’s sad that Mark Kelly goes along with Chuck Schumer 97% of the time and Bernie Sanders nine out of 10 times, which, as I’ve said you guys before, even Bernie’s wife doesn’t agree with him nine out of 10 times. I am not sure. I am not sure what she’s gonna do, but I think if she does what’s right for Arizona, she has to reject a bill that is going to massively increase the size and scope of the federal government, that’s gonna —

BUCK: Thank you, sir. AG Mark Brnovich. Go vote, everybody.