PHX Reporter

Kay Kandas, a Phoenix resident and member of the St. Therese' parish, illegal immigration was a key issue, highlighting its connection to homelessness and crime.

"Illegal immigration is a big problem," Kandas said. "Many of these people are homeless. This leads to more crime. There needs to be a human solution to these problems."

Since President Joe Biden took office in 2021, there have been over 9.7 million illegal crossings into the U.S. reported by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Illegal apprehension records have been broken every year during the Biden administration, according to an April report from the Center Square. In fiscal year 2021, the 1.9 million illegal border crossings reported was a record high, the highest number in American history at that point. The record was broken in both fiscal year 2022 and again in fiscal year 2023, when 2.7 million and 3.2 million crossings were reported. None of the record crossing numbers include “gotaways,” the individuals that evaded capture or notice at the border.