MONTGOMERY — While speaking to the Montgomery Rotary Club Monday, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall shared more insight into his White House visit last week when he briefed President Donald Trump on the impact of drug trafficking at and between points of entry at the nation’s southern border.
“It was really kind of an interesting week last week because I got a call about 2:00 Tuesday that asked if I could meet with the president at 1:00 the next day,” Marshall explained. “We made plans and were able to go up to Washington, but it was really about this issue – and I appreciate them reaching out – for me to be able to share with the president the link between border security and drug trafficking.”
He continued, “I firmly believe that, although we are not a border state, we are impacted by what crosses our border. If you look at Alabama’s drug problem, almost all the drugs that come into this country are imported by the Sinaloa Cartel — whether it be our cocaine, whether it be our methamphetamine, whether it be our heroin, and now the cartel is, along with the Chinese, allowing fentanyl to enter across our borders.”
“So, what I not only had a chance to do was share with the president some of the data I was aware of involving our drug trafficking cases and those who’ve entered this country unlawfully, but also to be able to share with him some very personal stories,” Marshall advised.
In his words, these examples included “a 13-year-old girl up in Madison County who was autistic, lost her grandmother – stabbed to death – and then she was beheaded by two members of the cartel because they were exacting revenge.”
“Or a juvenile in Shelby County who was raped by a gentleman who was previously convicted of drug trafficking,” Marshall added.
He outlined that this illegal immigrant “was deported, came back simply a few months after he left this country to the same place and committed a rape involving a young girl.”
Marshall also shared with the president a very recent story from the attorney general’s home county, Marshall County.
“A guy that was deported three different occasions came back to the same community and now is charged with the rape of a juvenile,” he explained.
“Those are stories that [the president] needs to hear,” Marshall said. “And that needs to be a little bit of a discussion when we’re talking nationally about the security of our border, recognizing that it’s not just simply an issue for California or for Texas or for Arizona. It’s also an issue for the people of Alabama.”
He then transitioned into talking about how his and Congressman Mo Brooks’ (AL-5) lawsuit against the U.S. Census Bureau focuses on illegal immigration pitfalls of a different kind.
“If you’re not here legally, you can’t vote in a federal election,” Marshall emphasized. “So I don’t understand why it is [illegal immigrants] oughta be counted in the census data for determining how many members of Congress a state has.”
He concluded, “Our experts say that if in fact those who are in this country unlawfully are counted, then Alabama’s going to lose a congressional seat… and a vote in the electoral college. One of the states that’s going to benefit from that is the state of California. And y’all, I don’t feel really good about giving California your vote for president. So, we’re going to continue to push that litigation, because we feel our constitutional basis for that argument is righteous but also that it is a matter of common sense.”
Thanks to the @MGMRotaryClub and President Eric Mackey for inviting me to speak today on the role of the Attorney General in defending and upholding Alabama’s laws. I was pleased to give an update on our efforts to combat violent crime and protect religious freedom. pic.twitter.com/QgOjpZi904
— AG Steve Marshall (@AGSteveMarshall) March 18, 2019
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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