Fitch joins Republican AGs at Southern border to talk immigration

• After appearing to faint, the Mississippi AG returned to the press conference and spoke on her office’s partnership with ICE’s 287(g) program.

Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch joined other Republican Attorneys General at a section of the southern border wall in Yuma, Arizona on Wednesday to discuss immigration enforcement.

Fitch spoke on Mississippi’s partnership with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in its 287(g) program, which aims to enhance the safety and security of communities by allowing ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations to partner with state and local law enforcement agencies to identify and remove criminal aliens who are amenable to removal from the U.S.

Mississippi has trained about 80 officers and “made a couple of arrests,” Fitch said, noting that her office was the third AG office in the nation to join in the program.

When announcing the program in March, Fitch said those officers would receive specific training on how to work with law enforcement partners, including the ATF, Customs, and FBI.

“We can work together to find these criminals and have them removed from our state,” she said at the time.

Those officers have the authority to identify people unauthorized to be in the U.S. and start removal proceedings if they are booked into a jail.

“This partnership will not only ensure that we protect our communities, but also strengthen our efforts to combat human trafficking, drug cartels, and violent crime,” Fitch said in late March.

Illegal immigrants, the AGs contended, are bringing crime and illegal drugs, mainly fentanyl, across the border. Fitch said cracking down on immigration is necessary.

“We understand this is a humanitarian effort – a crime effort,” she said of the crackdown, noting that she has met with family members impacted by the issue.

During Wednesday’s press conference, several AGs noted the reduction in illegal border crossings since the Trump Administration took office.

The Department of Homeland Security reported in April that under the Biden Administration, the average number of monthly border encounters was nearly 160,000, with the daily average peaking at 15,000. In Trump’s first 100 days, DHS reported that they saw the lowest monthly number of border encounters in recorded history, at less than 7,200, while the lowest daily number of border encounters, in February of 2025, fell to less than 200. 

Fitch gave credit for the reduction to President Trump, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

About fifteen minutes into the press conference, Fitch was seen wobbling and appearing to faint before the live feed was cut. When the video feed was restored, Fitch returned, carrying a water bottle. She went on to make brief remarks about what Mississippi is doing to combat illegal immigration.

“The general is fine, she had some water,” said a Fitch spokesperson. “It’s triple digits in Arizona,” noting the high temperatures and adding that AG Fitch has had a heavy travel schedule.

You can watch the full press conference below.