Rockford Sun

Judge Joe McGraw, a candidate for the 17th Congressional District, recently shared his alarming experience after a recent visit to the southern border in Yuma, Arizona, calling it horrifying and insisting it affects every American. As part of his campaign, McGraw is highlighting concerns over the Biden administration’s handling of border security.

“Last month, I visited our southern border. What I saw was horrifying, and it affects every single one of us,” McGraw said on Facebook. “The Democrat agenda has failed.”

In an editorial for the Rockford Register Star, McGraw discussed his recent trip to Yuma, expressing deep concern over what he sees as a crisis at the border. Drawing on his background in law enforcement, he criticized both the Biden administration and his opponent U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.) for allegedly allowing illegal immigrants, criminals and terrorists into the country without proper checks.

“Eric Sorensen and Joe Biden are allowing millions of illegal immigrants, including criminals and terrorists, to pour across our border. They are allowing thousands of pounds of deadly drugs to flood the streets of every single county in America. And they are allowing human trafficking to skyrocket,” McGraw wrote.

“Border crossings are up 300% since Biden took office. Suspected terrorists at the border have increased 5,533%. And human trafficking arrests have shot up 50% in the last year.”

“The chaos and lawlessness is shocking. It is putting all of us, even thousands of miles away, in danger.”

According to McGraw's statements during his campaign trail, if elected to Congress he would prioritize border security issues such as completing construction on the border wall and addressing cartels as dangerous criminals.

McGraw announced his candidacy for the 17th Congressional District in mid-October. A former prosecutor, private attorney, and retired Circuit Court Judge from Rockford, he is focusing his campaign on law-and-order principles and leveraging his judicial experience to address urban crime and immigration. According to the Pantagraph, McGraw's policy stances include backing a border wall, advocating for comprehensive immigration reform and supporting state regulation over federal intervention in abortion matters. 

The 17th Congressional District, which McGraw aims to represent, is fiercely contested and was narrowly won by Sorensen in 2022. It encompasses Carroll, Fulton, Henry, Knox, McDonough, Mercer, McLean, Peoria, Rock Island, Stephenson, Tazewell, Warren, Whiteside and Winnebago counties as per the Census Bureau’s map.