OPINION:

The border conflict between Russia and Ukraine has dominated headlines. Amidst escalating tensions, President Biden has started sending troops to the region. As a resident of another border region ravaged by unwanted incursions, I am incensed that Mr. Biden is sending American soldiers and tax dollars to shore up the Ukrainian border while Arizona and our fellow border states are subject to a full-scale invasion caused by his policies.

I recently visited the Yuma sector of the U.S.-Mexico border and spoke with many of the people waiting to be transported into the interior of our country. The Spanish-speaking migrants were mainly from Venezuela, Cuba and Central America. They were not asylum-seekers in the sense that they were fleeing violence or persecution. They freely admitted that they were seeking economic advancement for themselves and their families. Many were well dressed, well-mannered and well-fed. While they were waiting for the Border Patrol to pick them up, they were carefree, as if they were on vacation waiting for an Uber to come to take them to their hotel.

There were also two sizable groups of military-aged men who, judging by their appearance and accents, hailed from the Middle East and South Asia. Unlike the Spanish-speaking migrants, these people were decidedly unfriendly. After seeing these people and reading accounts of other observations, there is no question in my mind that people who mean to do us harm are infiltrating our country through our open borders.

The Biden administration is not establishing the identity of these people or vetting them before they are flown in the dead of night to cities across our country. I know because I found many of their passports and other identifying documents discarded behind the border wall. We have no idea who any of these people are, whether they are law-abiding or criminals, friend or foe.

More than 130,000 illegal immigrants crossed the Arizona border in just the fourth quarter of 2021. Nationally, there were about 1.7 million encounters with illegals in 2021. The forecast for 2022 is much higher. In 2021 there were more than 100,000 drug overdose deaths in the U.S., and the rate is rising. Arizona communities are being ravaged by crime and the unprecedented quantities of fentanyl being carried across the border. The Border Patrol and our state and local law enforcement agencies are overwhelmed.

On the day Mr. Biden took office, he sent an engraved invitation to the cartels when he renounced the Trump administration’s border policies. They responded by pouring drugs and people across our border. The trafficking of people and drugs has brought billions of dollars in profits to the cartels. It is fair to ask whether some of these enormous profits are finding their way to politicians who support the policies that facilitate this business.

Recent meetings between Border Patrol agents and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas revealed that the administration knows exactly what is happening here. Therefore, it is clear that the violation of our southern border is intentional. Mr. Biden’s border policy is actively, intentionally and knowingly undermining the safety and security of the American people.

It has been left to the governors of border states to deal with what everyone knows is a federal obligation. If I am elected governor of Arizona, I will take aggressive action to the limits of my constitutional authority to stem the flow of illegals into our state. However, the states’ resources are quite limited compared to those of the federal government.

It is the duty and responsibility of Congress to oversee the executive branch. I have sent a letter to every member of Congress to describe exactly what I have seen, so there will be no reason or excuse for our senators and representatives to be ignorant of the facts. I have invited every member of Congress to come to Arizona to see for themselves what we in Arizona already know.

The number of people forecast to cross Arizona’s border in 2022 exceeds 10% of our state’s 7.2 million population. This cartel-directed invasion is not only a heavy burden on the citizens of our state, it is a clear and present danger to our national security. I believe if all the members of Congress truly understood what is happening here, a majority of the members of both parties would impeach and convict Mr. Biden for dereliction of duty. This is not a partisan attack on the president; it is a demand that Congress do its constitutional duty in the face of a president who refuses to do his. We are under assault, Mr. Biden is responsible, and it must stop now.

• Steve Gaynor is an Arizona resident, business owner and Republican candidate for governor.