U.S. must secure borders first, Arnold-Jones says

To address the crisis created by Mexico’s drug war, Janice Arnold-Jones also says she will work to ensure effective drug-addiction education and treatment and enforcement of the law; her opponent in the GOP 1st Congressional District primary, Gary Smith, hasn’t responded to NMPolitics.net’s question.

This post continues a series on the U.S. Senate and 1st Congressional District candidates’ stances on various policy issues.

The first step in addressing the crisis created by Mexico’s drug war is securing the United States’ borders, Janice Arnold-Jones says.

She also said the violence in Mexico, and the violence that has spilled over into the United States, will continue as long as “criminals, and the users of illegal drugs, on the U.S. side of the border continue to finance” it.

In addition to working to secure the borders, Arnold-Jones, a Republican candidate for New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District seat in the U.S. House, said she will work to ensure effective education and treatment for drug addictions and enforcement of the law.

“It is time that Washington stop abdicating its responsibilities to the states,” Arnold-Jones said. “It will take all of us coming together, not as Republicans or Democrats, but as Americans, to solve this issue.”

Arnold-Jones’ opponent in the GOP primary, Gary Smith, hasn’t provided a response to NMPolitics.net’s question about Mexico’s drug war. NMPolitics.net first sent the question to all U.S. Senate and CD1 candidates on March 21. It sent a reminder March 29, and Smith’s campaign e-mailed in response, asking for the question to be resent – which NMPolitics.net did later that day.

Twelve days later, the Smith campaign still hasn’t sent a response. NMPolitics.net originally requested that answers be sent by March 25.

The question

When it sent a question about Mexico’s drug war, NMPolitics.net gave Arnold-Jones and Smith no word minimum or limit, telling them to say what they had to say. The only criterion was that they not engage in personal attacks.

Here’s the question NMPolitics.net asked:

• Mexico’s drug war hasn’t gotten as much attention in the United States as conflicts in some other foreign nations, but it’s been a destabilizing force in New Mexico’s neighbor – whose economy is arguably intertwined with that of the United States – and has had a tangible impact in the United States, with cartels operating in many states and some documented instances of spillover violence in Southern New Mexico and elsewhere. That’s on top of the humanitarian crisis the war has created in areas of Mexico including our neighbor, Cuidád Juarez. What policies and action do you support to address the crisis?

Here’s Arnold-Jones’ response, published in its entirety:

Janice Arnold-Jones

“First thing we must do is secure our borders! States now have to deal with national security issues because the federal government has failed to act.

“This problem is nothing new. In 1986,Congress passed the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA). This legislation laid out many of the solutions that are still being talked about today. I don’t agree with everything this piece of legislation enacted; however, it serves as a perfect example of where a law doesn’t translate out into a solution. Sixteen years later we are still talking about many of the same issues the IRCA, signed by President Reagan, was intended to address.

“It is time that we re-implement a Bracero program in the U.S. The ability for people to come into this country and work legally is a necessity for many industries in our country, especially our farming and ranching operations in New Mexico.

“We must get serious about enforcement. In Congress I will work tirelessly to assure that our Border Patrol has the systems, processes, staffing and equipment necessary to secure our borders. Those who risk their lives to ensure our safety deserve nothing but the strongest support from our Washington delegation.

“Ultimately criminals, and the users of illegal drugs, on the U.S. side of the border continue to finance the violence that we hear about in the news. We don’t have to imagine if it will spill over into our country; it already has!

“I will work with state agencies and private entities to ensure that we are effectively educating and treating drug addiction. I will also stand with our law enforcement to justly carry out the laws of our municipalities, state and country.

“It is time that Washington stop abdicating its responsibilities to the states. It will take all of us coming together, not as Republicans or Democrats, but as Americans, to solve this issue.”