Rep. John Curtis shocked by conditions at the US-Mexico border

Listen at 2:50 p.m.: Rep. John Curtis joins live to discuss his visit to the border

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Rep. John Curtis visited the US-Mexico border in Arizona this week and was shocked to see how much control the cartels have there. The lawmaker’s visit came just before the news that Gov. Spencer Cox would send members of Utah’s National Guard and Highway Patrolto the southern border in Texas.

“They decide who crosses, when and where,” Curtis told KSL NewsRadio. 

The cartels are charging people thousands of dollars to cross. Additionally, they are creating a dangerous and hostile environment.

“They’ve only gotten control because we’re not taking control. So we have to take control back. We have to implement policies,” Curtis explained. 

He is urging Utahns to demand more from the federal government. Furthermore, he says residents should vote for people who will implement effective policies.

Curtis noted that there are major human rights issues happening at the border. More than half of the women in caravans report being sexually abused while trying to cross.

“We tend to say as Utahns, ‘we should be more compassionate,’ but what I’ve seen down here is the exact opposite of compassion. The conditions we’re subjecting these people to by not controlling our border are terrible,” he says.

Related reading:

• ‘We should all be concerned’: Gov. Cox details trip to US-Mexico border
• 3 migrants, including 2 kids, drowned in Eagle Pass days after Texas blocked Border Patrol from area, congressman says