On January 28, 2021, the Pima NRCD hosted a dinner and tour of the new wall construction near Nogales, AZ for eight members of Congress who visited the border on a three-day west-to-east tour. The previous day, the Representatives saw the border at Sasabe. The next day, they visited the wall in Cochise County. Also on the tour were journalists including Rachel del Guidice and Chris DiSimone. Many of the attendees posted tweets about what they saw and learned, as copied below.
We deeply appreciate these members of Congress and interested members of the media taking the time to travel to the border, see the wall and the unfinished construction first-hand, and listening to the ranchers, sheriffs and Border Patrol.
Our border ranchers are at the front lines of the efforts to secure our border.
It was a privilege to spend the evening with some of them last night in Nogales, to tour one of their ranches and to understand the issues they face on the ground. pic.twitter.com/xs3vydYymO
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) January 30, 2021
Featured left to right in Congressman Biggs’s tweet above:
Jim Chilton, Arivaca Ranch, Pima Natural Resource Conservation District (NRCD) Chairman
Dr. Ted Noon, DVM, Noon Ranch, Nogales, AZ
Representative Andy Biggs, (R) AZ-05, Oversight and Reform Committee; Judiciary Committee
Representative Glenn Grothman (R) WI-06; Oversight and Reform Committee/Ranking member–Subcommittee on National Security; Committee on Education and Labor; Budget Committee
Cindy Coping, Malpais Ranch, Marana-Eloy area, AZ, Pima NRCD Supervisor
Representative Lauren Boebert, (R) CO-03;Vice chair, Congressional Western Caucus; Natural Resources Committee; Budget Committee
Bill Schock, Schock Ranch, Elgin, AZ; Supervisor, Santa Cruz NRCD; Past President–Arizona Association of Conservation Districts
Representative Warren Davidson (R) OH-08;Financial Services Committee
Representative Bob Gibbs (R) OH-07; Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and 2 others
Representative Barry Moore (R) AL-02; Committee on Agriculture
Representative Bob Good (R) VA-05; Budget Committee, Education and Labor Committee
Representative Matt Rosendale (R) MT-At Large; Natural Resources Committee; rancher from eastern MT
Representative Andrew Clyde, (R) GA-09; Oversight Committee, Homeland Security Committee,
Dan Bell, ZZ Cattle Company, Nogales, AZ Arizona Cattle Growers Association past President; Supervisor, Santa Cruz NRCD
I’m in Cochise Co. today w/ local law enforcement & the Border Patrol. We just stopped by a smuggling corridor, which is in a residential area, including some schools. Communities around the country experience the dangers & disastrous effects of open-borders policies every day. pic.twitter.com/MCVSxVq0LW
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) January 29, 2021
A border wall construction team in Cochise Count packing up to leave since the Biden Administration halted construction of the wall at the U.S. Mexico border. pic.twitter.com/4TavRkQkHu
— Rachel del Guidice (@LRacheldG) January 29, 2021
Open border policies are a LOSS for the American people and a WIN for organized crime.
We must continue to secure our border. pic.twitter.com/CUF4IW9BBr
— Congressman Bob Good (@RepBobGood) January 29, 2021
Sgt. Tim Williams in Cochise County, Arizona, tells me why he’s concerned for the safety of his community due to Biden ending construction of the border wall. pic.twitter.com/78XvOT23VO
— Rachel del Guidice (@LRacheldG) January 29, 2021
The Trump administration was building the wall up a mountain range in Cochise County that was known for rampant drug smuggling.
The Biden administration stopped construction last week, leaving the corridor even more exposed than before. pic.twitter.com/CHh2OtkAp5
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) January 29, 2021
Good morning from AZ!
Latest update from the southern border: pic.twitter.com/2dSB59ndeE
— Rep. Barry Moore (@RepBarryMoore) January 29, 2021
Construction has been ended on the border wall by the Biden Administration.
How does that *help* the smuggling corridors across the border? @RepAndyBiggsAZ weighs in. pic.twitter.com/MYrdqwA4AM
— Rachel del Guidice (@LRacheldG) January 29, 2021
We have to remember that border security is national security.
Harmful drugs make their way to the United States by first crossing the border. Drugs like methamphetamines and fentanyl have taken the lives of too many Ohioans. CBP is doing important work and deserves our thanks. pic.twitter.com/7NRE6pEWe3
— Warren Davidson (@WarrenDavidson) January 29, 2021
Getting a firsthand look at the tough reality @CBP agents face every day.
Thankful for their relentless efforts to keep Americans safe and our southern border secure.
Check out my full update ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/1UCtyvDXlj
— Rep. Barry Moore (@RepBarryMoore) January 29, 2021
Grateful for the work that Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels and his deputies do for their communities and for the cause of securing our border. Their efforts to stop drug trafficking in Cochise County saves lives all around the nation. pic.twitter.com/qeJBbJN2Fy
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) January 29, 2021
An update from the US border with Mexico: work on the #border #wall has stopped. pic.twitter.com/8RL9ThoqAk
— Warren Davidson (@WarrenDavidson) January 29, 2021
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Yvette Herrell (R) NM-02, although not an attendee at this border tour, also weighed in on President Biden’s Executive Order halting border wall construction:
The border wall protects ranchers, farmers, and families in our communities. Halting construction puts everybody at risk. pic.twitter.com/V54gmlqopD
— Rep. Yvette Herrell (@RepHerrell) February 1, 2021