TEMPE, Ariz.(NewsNation) — Three law enforcement officials at the southern border are running for Congress, hoping their decades of experience can lead to better immigration policies.
The border battle has been playing out in their backyards for years now and they have been vocal, but with migrant encounter numbers surging once again and law enforcement bracing for the end of Title 42, Terrell County Texas Sheriff Thaddeus Cleveland, Retired ICE/HSI Special Agent Victor Avila and Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb are gearing up to take the fight to the halls of Congress.
They’ve told NewsNation that they’re frustrated with the lack of support from the Biden administration in what they’re calling a “border crisis.”
“We’ve lived it. We’ve seen it. We know what works and what doesn’t work,” Thaddeus Cleveland said.
And these men don’t plan to play political games, they said they’re out for change.
“I think carrying that badge of honor, if you will, what we’ve done to protect lives, to protect the innocent, will continue on a bigger scale,” Cleveland said.
Cleveland has been living and breathing border protection for nearly three decades, but the retired Border Patrol chief has been vocal about the issues as sheriff, talking exclusively with NewsNation about what a run for Congress might look like.
“I really feel like we’re not being represented like we need to be represented in Washington, D.C. And due to that, I’ve launched an exploratory committee for the 23rd congressional district,” Cleveland said.
Republican Tony Gonzales is currently the representative for that district, which happens to be the largest in Texas. The district has been the epicenter of the immigration crisis as Del Rio, Eagle Pass and part of El Paso are all within District 23.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection‘s latest report showed migrant encounters were currently on pace to beat last year’s nationwide encounters record of more than 2.7 million.
“I’m a big, big believer in law and order and public safety. I’m for legal immigration, I want people to come to this country legally. But there’s a right way in the right path to do that,” Victor Avila said.
Avila was also on the frontlines, as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigation special agent who saw a different side of the border — literally. He worked in Mexico, investigating the cartels.
Like Cleveland, Avila is vying for Gonzales’ 23rd district seat.
“I was always frustrated in my career, like, why is there somebody like me, there in D.C. that knows making these incredible decisions that affect everybody? Well, I want to be that person,” Avila said.
In Arizona, another sheriff is throwing his hat in the run for Congress.
“Washington needs a new sheriff in town,” Lamb said in his campaign video.
For the last seven years, Mark Lamb has been Pinal County’s sheriff, and now, he’s running for Arizona Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema‘s seat.
“I think all Americans should consider this the fight of their lives. Clearly, this is a fight that I’m in. But I’m honored to take it upon myself on behalf of the people of Arizona, on behalf of my family,” Lamb said.
Lamb created multiple specialized units to target human and drug smuggling running rampant in his county, which sits roughly 50 miles from the border.
He said he would work to implement similar programs on a national level.
“The border crisis is affecting all of us, regardless of what party you are. All of these issues that we’re dealing with as a country are affecting all of us equally. And we need somebody that’s going to go fight for that a proven conservative fight or somebody that’s been doing it for a while,” Lamb said.
All three candidates confirmed to NewsNation that they feel designating cartels as terrorist organizations, as many Republican lawmakers are pushing for, is needed and a step in the right direction to fight the flow of fentanyl.
Devan Markham contributed to this report.
