The Arizona Cattlemen's Association respond to Obama's immigration address in El Paso yesterday:

Today President Obama gave his remarks on comprehensive immigration reform in El Paso, TX, claiming victory in the fight to secure our border. The Arizona Cattlemen’s Association is outraged by his comments mocking the border security issue. Referring to the work on the border the President says, “You know, they said we needed to triple the Border Patrol. Or now they’re going to say we need to quadruple the Border Patrol. Or they’ll want a higher fence. Maybe they’ll need a moat. Maybe they want alligators in the moat. They’ll never be satisfied.”

The President fails to understand that border security is not a partisan political issue. This is an issue about the people who live along our southern border and are not safe. This is no laughing matter! Southern Arizona rancher Dan Bell says, “My family has ranched on the border for several years and we have seen quite a few changes and have seen an increased presence in Border Patrol, but we are far from securing the border and I can tell you the fence is not done!”

The people in rural Arizona between the legal ports of entry see the evidence of our “secure border” as groups of 30 and 40 people make their way past ranch homes. “It is the rural remote regions of the border that remains an open door to anyone who wants to bring anything into the United States,” declares Gary Thrasher, DVM in Hereford, AZ.

Border Security is not a political pawn and should not be one for this administration or any politician. This issue affects Americans in the rural part of the region and our porous border has changed the lives of ranchers from California to Texas forever.

“I have personally spent a tremendous amount of time on the border in Arizona and what the President described today is nothing of what I have seen,” stated Patrick Bray, Executive Vice President for the Arizona Cattle Growers’ Association. “We welcome the opportunity to visit with the President and Secretary Napolitano here on our southern border, but we will not stand idle, allowing our highest elected officials to mock the situation that Arizona faces.”

If we are to cut the political posturing and put politics aside, we must secure our southern border. Mr. President, we expect the federal government to do their job so that every American citizen can live in peace.