Drug Trafficking: Why a change in District 7 is needed

Dennis Wagner begins a story series in the Arizona Republic that reinforces the need for removing Raul Grijalva as District 7's representative in the US House. Wagner describes the 2006 murder of Ymer Orozco, a 46-year-old former milk delivery driver who quit his job and volunteered to help detectives bust major cocaine dealers. Without going into details, Orozco's death reiterates the the control drug Cartels have over our state, a major route for drugs into the US. As the representative for District 7, Grijalva is the designated go to guy for the border region where, according to Wagner, more Cartel drugs enter the US than any other point of entry. What has Grijalva done about stopping the flow? What legislation have we seen from his office for border security? Stopping the flow of weapons across the border? Here is a list of the items on Grijalva's agenda, from his website:

Legislation Introduced by Rep. Grijalva in the 111^th Congress:

• HR 324 - The Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area Act

  Establishes the Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area in Arizona. Designates the Santa Cruz Valley Heritage Alliance, Inc. as the management entity for the Area.

• HR 325 - The Avra/Black Wash Reclamation and Riparian Restoration Project

  Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior, in cooperation with Pima County, AZ, to participate in the planning, design, and construction of water recycling facilities and to enhance and restore riparian habitat in the Black Wash Sonoran Desert ecosystem.

• HR 326 - The Cocopah Lands Act

  Provides that if the Cocopah Indian Tribe of Arizona transfers title to certain described land to the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary shall take it into trust for the benefit of the Tribe, if there are no adverse legal claims to it, including outstanding liens, mortgages, or taxes owed. Considers such land to be part of the Tribe's initial reservation. Prohibits its use for gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

• HR 404 - The National Landscape Conservation System Act

  Establishes in the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) the National Landscape Conservation System (thus, enacting into law the National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) created by BLM in 2000) in order to conserve, protect, and restore nationally significant landscapes that have outstanding cultural, ecological, and scientific values for the benefit of current and future generations.

• HR 644 - Grand Canyon Watersheds Protection Act of 2009

  To withdraw the Tusayan Ranger District and Federal land managed by the Bureau of Land Management in the vicinity of Kanab Creek and in House Rock Valley from location, entry, and patent under the mining laws, and for other purposes.

• HR 715 - The Saguaro National Park Boundary Expansion and Study Act of 2009

  The bill would enable the Park Service to purchase from willing sellers 283 acres adjacent to the Park's East Unit, including three miles of an important creek, and 300 acres adjacent to the West Unit.

While maintaining a pristine desert environment in Arizona is noble, it pales in comparison to border security and jeopardizing the safety of Arizonans by ignoring the burgeoning Mexican Cartel problem. Where is Raul? Conducting interviews demanding a "public option" in Obama Care. Meanwhile, the drug Cartels take over and our law enforcement officials fight on with fewer and fewer resources.