YUMA, AZ — If Robert Kennedy Jr. has his way, Arizona's border will be front and center in his campaign against President Joe Biden.
The son of Robert Kennedy is challenging the President in the Democratic primary.
In June, Kennedy spent three days in Yuma, meeting with migrants, elected officials, law enforcement, and social service agencies. The result is a documentary "Midnight at the Border."
"I started seeing immigrants show up on the streets stressing the social safety net in New York and other cities [like] L.A. and I wanted to see for myself what was really going on." Kennedy said in a Zoom interview from South Carolina.
Kennedy says he is no fan of former President Donald Trump, but he believes some of Trump's border policies need to be revisited.
In Kennedy's view they were working, "We definitely need a solid barrier in more densely populated areas," Kennedy said, adding, "we need to restore the sensor equipment that was installed in more remote areas."
After reaching a two-year low on migrant encounters along the southwest border in June, U.S. Border Patrol officials say there was a 33% increase in July (132,652 people).
40,000 of those encounters occurred in the Tucson sector. The Border Patrol said it's a record number.
The DEA reports 50% of the illegal fentanyl entering the U.S. comes through Arizona. Kennedy says the current U.S. Border policy promotes drug and human trafficking while contributing to the humanitarian crisis.
The political battles over immigration have left many Arizonans numb with lots of talk and little else.
Democratic political strategist Ben Scheel isn't convinced the Kennedy documentary will impact a presidential primary, but Scheel warns Democrats who want to win in Arizona in 2024 need to stake out their positions on immigration.
"I think it is important for Democratic candidates to differentiate themselves from the president generally speaking, and on this issue, especially on this issue in Arizona," Scheel said.
Yuma County Supervisor Jonathan Lines, who once served as Arizona's Republican Party Chairman, was featured in the documentary.
Lines says he hopes people will pay attention to the border now that Kennedy is calling out the administration.
Kennedy says the border crisis can be fixed, but it will require Democrats to think differently.
"The Democratic Party is about kindness. It's about openness and humanitarian impulses toward people. Most Democrats feel that open borders is serving those interests. But it's not," said Kennedy.
