ARIZONA NEWS

Arizona GOP congressional hopeful Blake Masters calls for ‘millions and millions’ of deportations

Jul 17, 2024, 9:33 AM

PHOENIX – Arizona Republican Blake Masters said Tuesday that stopping illegal immigration is the signature issue of his congressional campaign and called for “millions and millions” of deportations.

“We need to deport lots of people. There’s no gentle way to say that,” Masters told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show on radio row at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. “People say, ‘Oh, it’s so unkind.’ It’s like, ‘No, what’s unkind is Joe Biden throwing our border open and the status quo, that’s unkind.’ We need to deport millions and millions of people.”

Masters noted that the 2024 Republican Party platform includes the largest deportation operation in U.S. history. He also echoed former President Donald Trump’s “they’re not sending their best” language about immigration.

“Some of them are maybe good people. They’re still committing immigration crimes. I still think they should be deported,” Masters said. “But some of them are not good people — Venezuelan gangbangers, you know, Ecuadorean thugs that are literally strangling some of our young Americans, and I’m tired of that.”

Blake Masters running in crowded GOP field

Masters, a venture capitalist who lives in Tucson and was the losing Republican nominee against U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly in 2022, is running for the West Valley congressional seat currently held by Rep. Debbie Lesko.

Lesko isn’t seeking reelection, triggering a Republican primary battle royale in the 8th Congressional District. Masters’ opponents are former U.S. Rep. Trent Franks, losing 2022 Arizona attorney general candidate Abraham Hamadeh, state Sen. Anthony Kern and state House Speaker Ben Toma.

The winner of the July 30 GOP primary will be heavily favored to win the seat in the safe Republican district. Because of that, Masters said the nominee should focus on a different contest for the Nov. 5 general election: the race for outgoing U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s seat.

“Whether that’s me or Abe Hamadeh or one of the other guys, I think our job, really, is … to do everything we can to help win that Senate seat back.”

The Senate race is expected come down to Republican Kari Lake and Democratic U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego.

“Kari’s probably going to be the nominee, and I think she’s a pretty incredible nominee. … We’ll be raising money for her, trying to help her, trying to just help President Trump and spread that message so we can get the red wave in November that we really needed but didn’t get in November of ’22.”

We want to hear from you.

Have a story idea or tip? Pass it along to the KTAR News team here.

Arizona News

fatal shooting southeast Phoenix one man dead...

Payne Moses

Police investigating fatal shooting that left 1 man dead in southeast Phoenix

Phoenix police are investigating a fatal shooting in southeast Phoenix on Friday that left one man dead. The incident is being viewed as an act of self-defense.

18 minutes ago

Phoenix woman hit killed by car West Phoenix...

Payne Moses

Woman dead after hit by car while crossing street in west Phoenix

An adult woman was struck and killed by a car on Friday while crossing a street in west Phoenix, authorities said.

52 minutes ago

I17 Bumble Bee bridge ADOT construction Feb. 10-12 overnight...

Payne Moses

I-17 overnight closures next week to remove old Bumble Bee bridge

The southbound Interstate 17 will be closed overnight from Monday to Wednesday due to scheduled reconstruction of the Bumble Bee bridge.

2 hours ago

asthma GSK Arizona AG Kris Mayes sues for exploiting drug maker...

Payne Moses

Arizona AG accuses asthma drug maker of scheming to avoid Medicaid rebates

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes on Thursday sued drug producer GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for harm done to asthma patients by discontinuing a long-time product.

4 hours ago

According to a recent study, film production in the metro Phoenix area generated $29.1 million in e...

David Veenstra

2024 film projects made $29.1M in economic impact on Phoenix area, new report says

According to a recent study, film production in the metro Phoenix area generated $29.1 million in economic impact in 2024.

6 hours ago

Tucson border patrol...

Roxanne De La Rosa

3 men arrested near Tucson after fleeing from Border Patrol

Tucson Border Patrol agents arrested three men on Tuesday near the southern border, after they tried to flee from law enforcement.

7 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Asset Preservation Wealth & Tax

How to optimize the most money in 2024 tax returns

As tax season begins, getting your financials in order is important to maximize your tax return.

...

Fiesta Bowl Foundation

Join us for the 52nd annual Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade

The 52nd annual Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner & Rowe returns on Saturday, December 28, at 10 a.m.

...

The UPS Store

How The UPS Store is giving back to the community

PHOENIX -- As 2024 nears a close, The UPS Store is looking to give back to the Arizona community with the holiday season approaching.

Arizona GOP congressional hopeful Blake Masters calls for ‘millions and millions’ of deportations