Kurt Schneider Releases Border Crisis Documentary After Leading Local Delegation on Border Visit

Joe Lyons • October 29, 2024

ASHLAND, Ohio – Kurt Schneider, who will be Ashland County’s next sheriff, has released a mini-documentary highlighting the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border and its impact on communities nationwide, including in North Central Ohio. Schneider recently led a delegation from Ashland County to Cochise County, Arizona, to observe the effects of the border crisis firsthand.

The four-minute documentary, produced by Ashland resident Sean Bartley’s firm, provides a concise overview of the border crisis and the humanitarian and economic toll extending well beyond Arizona. “Schneider’s brief Border documentary succinctly highlights the issues arising from our broken border across the entire country,” Bartley said. “The documentary addresses the Cartels’ influence, the elements involved in securing the border, and what we all can do to make sure those actions are taken.”

In the opening of the documentary, Schneider explains his purpose in bringing local leaders to the border. “I thought it to be a prudent decision to take a delegation of leaders from Ashland County to put eyes on this crisis firsthand, figure out how it’s going to affect us locally,” he says. Schneider goes on to describe the extensive control of the border by criminal cartels, asserting, “they are the ones calling the shots.”

Ashland Mayor Matt Miller, who was part of the delegation, elaborates on the cartels’ profit motives. “They are taking advantage of this border situation to make money,” Miller said. “They are sacrificing the lives of people from all over the world in the name of making money.” 

Ohio State Representative Melanie Miller also offers insights into the gaps in border security, emphasizing a three-pronged approach. “There’s that three-tiered approach for security, the lighting, the security with cameras, obviously the physical wall but also the men and women to secure the border,” stated Representative Miller. “We have to do that for our American people.”

The delegation collectively addressed the severe humanitarian costs stemming from the crisis. “This is not just an Arizona crisis or a Texas crisis. Every state in the Union has a border problem,” Schneider states in the documentary. He highlights that individuals crossing the border become indentured servants to the cartels where they are forced to work off their debt for the rest of their lives or risk harm to them or their family. 

Representative Miller further underscores the humanitarian implications, stressing the safety of children caught in the crisis. “Children are lost. We don’t know where they are,” she says. “It is so important that we secure our border so we can protect human life.”

Closer to home, Mayor Miller links the border situation to local challenges in Ashland County, noting a double-digit increase in the number of cases in local courts involving individuals detained along Interstate 71. “It’s costing our local taxpayers to address the very men and women who are getting through this fence, over this fence, or getting into this country illegally,” he remarked.

Schneider, who has a long background in law enforcement and public safety, ends the documentary by encouraging Ashland County residents to vote for political leaders who will address the crisis head-on. “Vote for a president who will get stuff done. That’s Donald Trump,” he says. Schneider also highlights Bernie Moreno as a Senate candidate with a strong stance on border security and urges the election of local officials committed to understanding and tackling the complex issues arising from the border situation.

The documentary aims to raise awareness of the border crisis, the humanitarian crisis it is causing, and its impact on communities across the nation.