Great Lakes Wire

Michigan Senate Candidate Mike Rogers stated that the Biden-Harris campaign’s border policies, which his opponent Elissa Slotkin supports, could harm people living in Michigan. Rogers shared his statement with Great Lakes Wire on August 12.

"The Biden-Harris open border agenda with the full support of Slotkin jeopardizes the security of American families every single day, including right here in Michigan where illegal immigrants have committed violent murders, sexual assaults, home robberies, and drug trafficking to our kids," said Rogers. "In the Senate, I'll get to work on day one and put an end to this dangerous border crisis and secure our neighborhoods and nation."

This statement followed a call by the GOP and House Speaker Mike Johnson to permanently halt the migrant flight program following allegations of fraud, according to Fox News. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) temporarily paused the program, which allows up to 30,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to enter the U.S. legally each month, after fraud revelations. Some lawmakers and groups are calling for the program's permanent shutdown, arguing that it facilitates illegal immigration and undermines border security. The DHS insists that the vetting process of the migrants is reliable.

In April of this year, an undocumented migrant was charged in the murder of a woman from Grand Rapids, Michigan. According to WWMT, Brandon Ortiz-Vite, a 25-year-old citizen of Mexico, could face life imprisonment after being charged with Ruby Garcia's death. Ortiz-Vite had several incidents with the law since 2017 and was ordered by a judge to be removed from the U.S. in 2020. It is unknown how or when he re-entered the U.S.

According to the Detroit Free Press, Michigan experienced a record number of illicit fentanyl seizures as the Detroit Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) confiscated 1,168 pounds of fentanyl in 2023, up 70% from the prior year. Nationally, the DEA confiscated a record amount of fentanyl in 2023—more than 386 million deadly doses. Fentanyl is currently the leading cause of death for Americans between ages 18 and 45.

According to his website, Rogers was born and raised in Livingston County, Michigan. He served as a lieutenant in the United States Army and then as a Special Agent in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He first ran for public office in 1994 and was elected to the Michigan state legislature.