GUNTERSVILLE — Candidates for Alabama's fourth congressional district, U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) and Justin Holcomb, addressed the crisis at the U.S. southern border during a meeting in Guntersville Thursday hosted by the Marshall County Republican Women Club.
As the incumbent, Aderholt headlined the event, covering a range of topics from government spending to former President Donald Trump. He referenced his recent trip to the southern border, emphasizing the amount of drugs and people being trafficked by the cartels.
"We hear a lot about the migrants that are coming in, but we don't hear a lot or as much as we should be hearing about the drugs that are coming across our border and also the trafficking of people that are coming across our border," he said.
Aderholt said the cartels profit over $30 million per week from human and drug trafficking around the area he visited in San Antonio, Texas.
"The president could do so much to stop it right now, but unfortunately, I don't think he wants to," he said.
During his allotted three minutes, Holcomb challenged Aderholt's record when it came to getting things done in Washington, D.C., including protecting the border.
"It's all talk and no action, he said. "For nearly 30 years, we've been sending the same person up to Washington, and it just hasn't worked for us folks."
Holcomb said the lack of action to stop the illegal immigrant crisis has brought the border to Marshall County's front door.
"I don't need to go to the border," he said. "I can go to Albertville, and you can see what a sanctuary city looks like. For 30 years since my opponent took over, Albertville has gone like this. It's unrecognizable. Boaz is on its way; Arab is next; Fort Payne is halfway there. We have to do something right now. We can't keep talking about things we're looking to do down the road."
RELATED: Albertville: How lax immigration policy drastically changed the character of an Alabama town
Holcomb also hoped to set an example for the rest of the country by committing to just two terms in office.
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