OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has not been given much of a chance to unseat Joe Biden in next year’s Democratic presidential primaries, but he continues to prove his candidacy isn’t just for show — he’s in it to win it.
That was in evidence again this week when RFK Jr. went to Yuma, Ariz., to meet with border and law enforcement personnel, illegal immigrants, local citizens, and charities attempting to deal with the massive influx of migrants that began in earnest more than two years ago when, on his first day in office, Biden reversed most of former President Donald Trump’s highly effective immigration policies.
In a subsequent interview with NewsNation, Kennedy said the situation along the border is a “dystopian nightmare” that “clearly could have been prevented.”
In January, by contrast, Biden made his only visit to the border, but it appeared to be more of a sanitized photo op. CNN reported that during his three-hour visit en route to Mexico, Biden did not meet with any migrants and did not see makeshift encampments along the city’s streets, spending only minutes at the border wall that began under Trump and was canceled by him.
During his interview with NewsNation, RFK Jr. labeled Biden’s immigration and border policies “unsustainable.” Standing near an unfinished portion of the wall around 2 a.m., Kennedy told the network he’d seen at least 150 people cross into the country illegally the previous hour.
At 2 am this morning, I visited the border outside of Yuma, Arizona where thousands of migrants are crossing the border each week. You have to see it with your own eyes. #Kennedy24 pic.twitter.com/Fbl4mPr44A
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) June 6, 2023
In a short video he posted to Twitter, RFK Jr. said he had encountered migrants from West Africa, Peru, Afghanistan, China, India, and Bangladesh, among other countries.
“Altogether, people have come across right here from 117 nations in the last couple of years. In three years in total, 7 million people have come across the border illegally,” he said.
He went on to explain that once migrants cross illegally and are apprehended at the border, they are taken to facilities and processed before being released into the U.S. about four or five days later.
“Most of them are never seen or heard from again,” he said.
“The stories that we heard from these people are absolutely heartbreaking. This is a humanitarian crisis because of the understanding across the globe that we now have an open border here,” Kennedy noted further.
He went on to say that many migrants, and especially women and children, are abused sexually on their way to the U.S.
“There are all kinds of just horrific, terrible, terrible stories. And this is not a good thing for our country. It’s not a good thing for these people. It is unsustainable,” Kennedy concluded.
RFK Jr. posed for a picture with Yuma County Sheriff Leon Willmot, who he quoted as noting, “This shouldn’t be a partisan issue, it’s a health and public safety issue. It’s a humanitarian crisis.”
“I agree. I’m at the border learning about the situation here. So many heartbreaking stories,” RFK Jr. said in a tweet.
Yuma County Sheriff Leon Willmot. “This shouldn’t be a partisan issue, it’s a health and public safety issue. It’s a humanitarian crisis.” I agree. I’m at the border learning about the situation here. So many heartbreaking stories. pic.twitter.com/fbdqqBznhL
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) June 7, 2023
Kennedy said he also met with farmers in the region whose operations have been endangered by the migrant traffic.
“Yuma County provides 90 percent of the green leafy vegetables, like iceberg lettuce, arugula, spinach, and broccoli, to American tables between November and April,” he said.
“The tsunami of migrants walking across farm fields and defecating in irrigation canals threatens the safety of that food supply. Last year, one of their neighbors had to plow under 88 acres of broccoli and personally absorb the $10k per acre cost after migrants tainted irrigation water,” he added.
