GOP Senate candidates Mark Lamb and Kari Lake debate border security credentials

(The Center Square) – While Arizona U.S. Senate Candidate Kari Lake has been vocal about her intent to close the southern border and what she thinks needs to be done about it, her opponent in the GOP primary race, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, said that he is far more suitable to address crime at the border.

“You’re not going to find a candidate more experienced in the border than I am,” Lamb said. “In fact, I’d be the most qualified candidate in the Senate when it comes to the border.”

He noted that border security is not just a talking point on his campaign list, it’s his life.

“We’re going out in the deserts every day, finding people that are trying to get into this country illegally,” Lamb said. “We’re pulling people out of the desert that the cartels have left for dead.”

Additionally, Lamb said that the increase in fentanyl-related deaths in the U.S. is directly related to unlawful immigration across the southern border.

“Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for American adults and is flowing right across the southern border, smuggled in by the cartels,” Lamb’s campaign website reads. “Simply put, fentanyl is poisoning an entire generation of Americans, our children in particular, who are often targeted for recruitment by the criminal cartels.”

Lamb said that during his trips to the border, he and his team have recovered numerous drugs, including fentanyl.

Despite Lamb's claims to being familiar with crime on the border, Lake pointed out that he does not actually live near the border and couldn’t have that much experience with it.

According to Lake’s campaign website, her priority when it comes to border security is finishing former President Donald Trump’s wall at the southern border that was halted by President Joe Biden.

Lake said that she would also work to remove the endemic crime provision that qualifies people for asylum, saying that this leads to increased crime in the U.S.

“Many of the U.S.’s largest, Democrat-run cities have violent crime rates similar to – in some cases higher than – those in the countries people are leaving to come here,” Lake’s website reads. “This is the primary condition being cited by asylum seekers, removing it will automatically disqualify a majority of applicants.”

Additionally, she said that she wants to require immediate deportation and a permanent ban from entering the U.S. for those caught attempting to enter the U.S. outside the official ports of entry.

Lake also wants to withhold foreign aid to countries that don’t actively assist the U.S. in preventing illegal migration and provide assistance to countries that are willing to tackle organized crime in their own territories.

Lamb said that he believes there is a balance that can be found between upholding the law and being a welcoming nation, but that must first start with increased control and organization at the border.

“Allowing unrestricted illegal immigration is unfair to legal immigrants who played by the rules and waited in line,” Lamb said. “America needs a return to sanity with a merit-based immigration system that upholds the rule of law. It is a false choice that we cannot simultaneously be a nation of laws and a generous, welcoming nation.”

Registered Republicans can take their pick of which candidate they would prefer when it comes to addressing border security, among other issues.

The polls will be open for the state primary election Tuesday, July 30 at 6 a.m. and they close at 7 p.m. Voters in Maricopa County can find their closest polling location here , voters in Pima County can find their closest polling location here and all other voters can visit my.arizona.vote to find their polling locations.

In order to participate, voters must bring valid identification either a photo ID or two forms of ID if they don’t include a photograph.

Secretary of State Adrian Fontes encourages people to be aware of the upcoming heatwave when going to polling locations and many locations will be equipped with cooling centers providing relief from the heat. More information on what to expect on election day can be found here .