Gov. Doug Ducey claims stop-gap border fix has led to drug busts

YUMA, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) — Gov. Doug Ducey spent the day in Yuma to see firsthand how his temporary border barrier is working. The state spent millions on stacked shipping containers to fill gaps. So, how effective are they? The governor said the containers have helped law enforcement. “The operational control that we have allows us to not only interdict the migrants but to really stop the flow of drug cartels and activity,” Ducey said. The governor boasted that his plan will cut off the flow of illegal drugs smuggled across the border, particularly the flow of deadly fentanyl. “This is a poisoning of people,” he said.

Fentanyl seizures have skyrocketed, but data reveals the overwhelming majority of the drug seizures have been at the ports of entry, not from migrants and asylum seekers crossing into the country. “Don’t you think it’s misleading to keep conflating that issue with this right here, saying that this has much of an effect on the flow of drugs coming across the border?” Arizona’s Family reporter Dennis Welch asked. “Dennis, obviously all the teenagers and college kids OD’ing on fentanyl is not fentanyl that has been interdicted,” Ducey replied.

When pressed, the governor maintained that his border project led to drug apprehensions. “I believe we’ve seen fentanyl seizures nearly every day this week,” Ducey said. “But you don’t have any data on that,” Welch replied. “We do have data fentanyl is coming across the border,” Ducey said.

Late Thursday, the Governor’s Office provided data about fentanyl busts across the state, but nothing indicating his stop-gap border fix directly led to more arrests or seizures. The governor was also asked how long he would like to see the containers remain, and he said until President Joe Biden takes more action or until he’s out of office.

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