Georgia Senate election: Herschel Walker secures Border Patrol union support

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FIRST ON FOX: Georgia Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker has secured the support of the Border Patrol Union as Republicans seek to make the ongoing southern border crisis a key issue in the midterm elections.

The National Border Patrol Council said it was “proud” to support Walker, who wants to oust Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., in November. The union president grouped Warnock with President Biden in backing the Republican challenger.

“With border crossings up 78% since last year, we are witnessing an influx of crime, drugs and human trafficking in this country,” said NBPC President Brandon Judd. “The citizens of Georgia are paying the price first hand for the irresponsible soft crime policies of Raphael Warnock and Joe Biden. It’s time to elect a strong leader who will always prioritize the safety of Georgia and US citizens, and that person is Herschel Walker. “

“I’m honored to be endorsed by the National Border Patrol Council,” Walker said. “On the campaign trail, I am often reminded that Georgians do not feel safe in their own communities and that our law enforcement heroes are being abandoned — and even demonized — by our leaders in Washington.”

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Herschel Walker, Republican Senate candidate in Georgia, speaks during a campaign event in Macon, Georgia on Wednesday, May 18, 2022.
(Photographer: Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Walker accused Warnock of pushing a “soft crime and open borders” agenda: “I will always support the blues, and I will work to support them in the US Senate.”

Walker has pledged to provide increased resources, support and protection for border patrol – while supporting border security measures including physical barriers and technology. His office has also said he would “give border guards a chance to do the job they were hired to do and not demonize them at every turn”.

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Warnock has criticized a “broken” immigration system and his campaign calls for “a comprehensive immigration reform that will fix our broken system, keep our nation safe and provide a sane path to citizenship”. He was also one of several Democrats who broke with the Biden administration, notably to end Title 42 deportations on the southern border earlier this year. A spokesman said the government must come up with a plan to prevent “it’s already happening worse humanitarian situation worse”,

Walker, who won a Heisman Trophy four decades ago and helped lead the University of Georgia to a national college football championship, entered the GOP race last summer with the backing of former President Trump to face Warnock.

Walker, who is well known in the state, came out on top and secured the GOP nomination. But polls show the race between Walker and Warnock – who Republicans see as vulnerable – remains close. A Fox News poll released Thursday put Warnock 4 percentage points ahead of Walker (46% vs. 42%). These results are within the margin of error.

Republicans in both the House and Senate have tried to make the border crisis a top election issue. There were more than 200,000 encounters per month, with fiscal 2022 already surpassing last fiscal year’s 1.7 million encounters.

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Fox News recently reported that since the start of fiscal 2022 on Oct. 1, more than half a million known “safe havens” have been sneaking into the US. The Biden administration has claimed the border is “safe” and has instead sought to address “root causes.” like poverty and violence in Central America.

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

Adam Shaw is a political reporter for Fox News Digital specializing in immigration. He can be reached at adam.shaw2@fox.com or on Twitter: @AdamShawNY