During a Wednesday morning debate, Alabama’s second congressional candidates, Caroleene Dobson and Shomari Figures, clashed over immigration policy and border security, with Figures casting doubt on Dobson’s sincerity due to her actions in the private sector.
The debate, hosted by the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce and carried by WSFA, featured Republican Dobson and Democrat Figures ahead of next month's election.
The debate was mostly tame, with the pair showing little difference in their desire to positively affect the district. They showed clear disagreement over economic and abortion policies but still maintained probity.
Things mostly got contentious when questioned on immigration and border security and how to best address the continued influx of both legal and illegal immigrants.
The issue of the southern border continues to rank among the highest concerns for Americans leading up to November’s election. The massive influx of immigrants from all over the globe, combined with the amount of illegal drugs crossing the border, has made immigration a pivotal talking point for anyone seeking federal office.
Dobson swiftly blamed the Biden administration for the border crisis, claiming Figures was part of the transition team when Biden took office.
“Immigration is an issue that has been killing opportunity in our country, killing our young people,” Dobson said. “Literally 100,000 Americans died last year from Fentanyl overdose.”
She continued, “The policies of this administration are nonsensical when you look at the fact that we have to have secure borders in order to keep our country secure, and the solutions that have heretofore been offered by this administration don’t do enough. They leave the borders open without any vetting process for the first few thousand that come across. I can guarantee you that the cartels will ensure that their frug runners are first in line. There have been over 300 members of ISIS that have been apprehended due to this open border policy; those are the ones we’ve been able to catch.”
Boasting on the Obama administration’s success with border security, Figures responded by saying that the border must be protected, but not in a way to “drum up fear” based on “lies and conspiracy theories.” He also took a swipe at Dobson, claiming she sold U.S. borderland to “shadow companies” owned by Mexican investors during her time in the private sector.
“My opponent mentions the border,” Figures said. “But what she fails to mention about the border is that in her early legal career, she spent time in Texas actually selling millions of acres of our border state land in Texas to shadow companies owned by Mexican investors. So that is something that we have to understand, that we have to understand the realities of; that border protection does not just become an issue when you’re not being paid to do it. So we have to make sure that we have smarter border protection policies [and] reforming our immigration system in a manner that actually makes sense and reflects the true values of this country.”
Dobson responded by exculpating her actions while practicing as a real estate attorney, claiming Figures embellished his claim of “millions of acres.”
“I was a real estate attorney and I helped a Mexican company that was fleeing from the cartel, that moved here legally, buy some office buildings. So, it wasn’t quite millions of acres. But what I will say is that we do have a border crisis. And my opponent points to the Obama administration, but what he fails to mention is the Biden administration, of which he was part. He was part of the transition team that flung open our borders and has resulted in less safe communities and a strain on resources in our country.”
The Trump administration lost track of 1,400 minors at the border. To me, that is unacceptable. Any child lost track of at the border is unacceptable. But the Biden administration, they’ve lost track of 320,000 children at the border. We have got to get our border secure, and we have got to ensure that we are not continuing the humanitarian and national security crisis that was created by the Biden/Harris administration, again, of which my opponent was part.”
Unsurprisingly, Figures counteracted Dobson’s claim that the land purchase was merely for office buildings.
“The realities of it was, look, this was land that was used to secure a $100 million portfolio loan, so that’s one hell of an office building,” Figures said. “And so I think the realities of it is that it was not that. The reality of it is that, in the private sector, you were a real estate attorney, and you helped secure a deal selling border land to shadow companies owned by Mexican investors, which is, you know, that’s your business in the private sector. But what we cannot do is now sit here and say that we have the solutions to secure our borderland when that is what we have spent our careers doing.”
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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