Legislators brief sheriff on border visit

"Wyoming is a border state," Senator Stacy Jones said. "Every state is a border state." 

This idea was reiterated several times during a briefing hosted by Senator Stacy Jones and Representative Tony Niemiec after their recent trip to the southern border of the United States. The legislators gave the briefing on their trip to Sweetwater County Sheriff John Grossnickle on Monday, and were joined by Representatives Clark Stith, J.T. Larson, and Cody Wylie. During the briefing, the legislators discussed some of their experiences at the border and their concerns regarding how border security affects everyone. 

"They took the time and effort to go to the border to actually look at this because they recognize that every state is a border state," Rep. Stith said. 

"For those folks that say this is crazy and Wyoming isn't a border state, all we have to do is look to the northwest from this building and we see Interstate 80. That is the border there," Rep. Wylie added. "We do deal with these issues."

Sheriff Grossnickle agreed that I-80 is an issue, and pointed out that Sweetwater County is unique in also having Highway 191, which goes all the way from Mexico to the north, meaning the county has two major thoroughfares. 

Grossnickle added that many issues are connected to problems at the border, and are something law enforcement officers have been dealing with for a long time, but now the issues are increasing. 

"I want to thank you guys for going down there and actually witnessing this firsthand," the sheriff told the legislators. 

Sen. Jones and Rep. Niemiec had the opportunity to travel to the southern border in Arizona. During their time there, they witnessed immigrants crossing the border in sections where the wall is incomplete. 

Rep. Niemiec described a group they saw when they were taking a night tour around 2:30 a.m. 

"We witnessed a group of about eight women and children come over," he explained. "These folks just came over, came around the fence, and stopped and waited for Border Patrol so they could be processed. It was a very surreal incident that we witnessed."

Senator Jones also told about a separate incident that happened around 9 a.m. one day when they were at the border between Arizona, California, and Mexico. They saw two men that they estimated to be in their twenties run around the edge of the wall. Sen. Jones was unsure whether the runners were apprehended by Border Patrol because they left her line of sight. However, she said that it was "pretty eerie to just be standing there" and witness immigrants running into the country. 

"Those two individuals obviously were purposely trying to not get apprehended, so they have to be in the questionable category, in my opinion," Sen. Jones commented. 

She also explained that for many immigrants who cross the border, like the group of women and children, there is a process they go through before entering the country. She clarified that they are not sent back, but are processed and taken to a holding facility. 

"Border Patrol and US Immigration attempts to do research on them and see if they can determine that they are in fact good people and people who we would like to have in the U.S.," Sen. Jones explained. 

Border Patrol has 45 days to try to determine who people are, and if they can't find anything negative about them, the immigrants are automatically allowed into the United States, according to Sen. Jones. Illegal immigrants also need to have a sponsor to enter the country, so they have to be able to give a name and address of someone living in the United States. However, it doesn't have to be an American citizen.

Illegal immigrants are also given a court date, but Jones said the courts are so backed up that the dates being given now could be anywhere from 2030 to 2040, and there's nothing to do if people don't show up once their court date comes around. 

"They are just released, so there's no way to keep track of them," Sen. Jones said of illegal immigrants. "It is scary and I think we all should be concerned."

Sen. Jones and Rep. Niemiec also discussed other concerns they learned about while visiting the border, such as food security. They were told that somewhere around 85% of all leafy green vegetables in the United States are grown in the Yuma area, and the USDA has strict requirements that can lead to crops being jeopardized. 

"Any time one of these illegal immigrants enters one of these fields, the whole crop has to be destroyed," Sen. Jones explained. 

She added that there's also the possibility of immigrants getting into the crop and the farmers not being aware of it, which can lead to diseases spreading through food. 

Problems stemming from illegal immigration also extend beyond the immediate concerns at the border to concerns that can be felt across the country, according to the legislators and Sheriff Grossnickle. 

The two major issues that are connected to the border and can be seen in Sweetwater County are fentanyl and human trafficking, the sheriff said. He explained that, according to data from the Department of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Sweetwater County has been one of the major fentanyl overdose hotspots in the state. The county has also seen human trafficking cases, Grossnickle said, and the sheriff's office now has a lieutenant dedicated to addressing the issue. 

When Rep. Niemiec pointed out that anyone can check the county's jail roster and often see illegal immigrants being held at the detention center, Sheriff Grossnickle explained that they typically have two or three "holdovers" each week. These are illegal immigrants who have committed crimes in the United States and are being deported. They are kept in Sweetwater County as a temporary stop in the process of being transported, typically between Salt Lake City, Utah and Colorado. He added that the county used to see 12-13 "holdovers" a week under the Trump administration when there was more manpower and directive to "go out and find them." 

Grossnickle also noted that the sheriff's office has received reports of large numbers of undocumented immigrants entering our local community, which they have investigated, but so far they have not had those investigations come to fruition to confirm evidence of large numbers of illegal immigrants coming through.

When it comes to problems at the border and illegal immigration, Sheriff Grossnickle reiterated that law enforcement officers have been fighting the battle before now, but are seeing it expounded because of people coming across freely. He referenced a statement made by the Western Sheriff's Association that pointed out they are not against immigration, they just support legal immigration. 

"We're here to stand side by side with the border sheriffs and any other law enforcement that needs the help in the nation," Grossnickle said. 

However, he also emphasized that his main focus is Sweetwater County, and addressing the problems that are seen locally, which is an issue that everyone needs to work on together.

"We need help from the citizens of Sweetwater County," Sheriff Grossnickle said. "If they see something that doesn't look good, let us know so we can investigate it and try to keep it out of our community. That's my main focus."