Mike Boudreax, Sheriff of Tulare County, California, said drug cartels are embedded in communities in his county, committing crimes and "taking the lives of innocent people." He made this statement at a Congressional hearing titled "The Biden-Harris Border Crisis: Victim Perspectives" before the House Judiciary Committee on Sept. 10.
“These cartels are infiltrating our communities, unleashing incredible violence, and taking the lives of innocent people,” Boudreaux said.
The Tulare County region of California has historically had problems with illegal immigrants coming in to work in agriculture, according to Sheriff Boudreaux. There has been an increase of illegal immigrants in the last three years who are not connected to agriculture and perform “violent crime, human trafficking, drug trafficking, gun trafficking, and crimes against children.”
In 2023, six residents of Tulare County, including a mother and baby, were murdered, CNN reported. The murders have been linked to the cartels, and Ashley Schwarm, Tulare County sheriff’s spokesperson, called the incident a “cartel-style execution.”
In 2018, Gustavo Garcia went on a 24-hour “reign of terror” throughout Tulare County, Boudreax said. He was responsible for murder, shootings, armed robbery, and carjacking. Garcia, who had been deported and arrested twice, was unable to be detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement prior to this due to California state law.
“California has basically become an open territory for the cartel to do what it wants,” Boudreax said. The Tulare Sheriff called for immigration enforcement to be “actively and aggressively addressed by Federal and State officials.”
Sheriff Mark Boudreax is the current Sheriff of Tulare County, according to his website. He also represents the 58 local California sheriffs as the president of the California State Sheriffs’ Association.
