Republican lawmakers visit Texas border; say we're at a 'breaking point'
Republican leaders of Congress went to see the border problem for themselves, and the evidence was easy to find.
Even with all that attention on the other side of the border, people continued to cross the Rio Grande into Texas.
Border Control says the crossing numbers are lower than in recent days, but it’s still a concern.
Congressional Republican leaders repeated their call for President Joe Biden to take immediate action on the border.
In Wednesday’s White House briefing, the president’s press secretary suggested more funding and said resources are on the way if Congress passes a new spending package.
"America is at a breaking point with record levels of illegal immigration, and today, we got a firsthand look at the damage and chaos it is causing our communities," Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said.
It’s a new year but same problem on the southern border.
Johnson and about 60 of his colleagues scheduled a news conference Wednesday in Eagle Pass.
It was a familiar theme, with Republicans criticizing President Biden for what they say is a lack of effort to stop the border surge.
"With each passing day, each record broken, this administration’s dereliction of duty becomes more dangerous and infuriating, and we are here to say it must stop," Johnson said.
The Biden Administration has been engaged in multiple legal fights with Texas.
Most recently, threatening to sue the state over Senate Bill 4, which allows any officer in Texas to arrest someone they suspect of crossing into Texas illegally.
U.S. Department of Justice says it will sue if Texas enforces new law punishing illegal border crossing
The U.S. Department of Justice has threatened to sue to stop a new Texas law that allows state police to arrest people suspected of illegally crossing the border — unless Gov. Greg Abbott backs off of enforcing the law.
This week, President Biden said the feds need more money to help with the border issue.
"Our Border Patrol agents need more resources. We need more resources to get this done. We need more technology to get things done with migrants at the border," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
In Wednesday’s briefing, Jean-Pierre pointed the finger at Republicans, saying they are not focused on keeping the government open, with border funds included in the spending package, a concern echoed by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
"Fundamentally, Congress must fix the broken immigration system," Mayorkas said.
Republicans counter that funding must also come with more deterrents, like construction of the border wall, limiting asylum qualifications, and curbing the number of people released in the U.S.
Meanwhile, Republicans are moving forward with proceedings to impeach Mayorkas. Jean-Pierre called it a waste of time.
"It's a political stunt. It's baseless, it’s purely baseless," she said.
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There has been some progress on the border.
This week, Texas Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar said more federal resources are being sent to Eagle Pass, Arizona, and California, in terms of border agents.
Still, Republican leadership believes the damage has been done.
"If President Biden wants a supplemental spending bill focused on national security, it better begin by defending America’s national security," Johnson said.
Also Wednesday, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas took aim at Gov. Greg Abbott, criticizing the fact that Texas has circumvented local regulations aimed at coordinating migrant bus arrivals by sending them to other nearby locations.
"We have one governor in the state of Texas who is refusing to cooperate with other governors and other local officials and coordinate efforts to address a challenge," Mayorkas said.
Gov. Abbott has vowed to continue sending migrants to major U.S. cities. And while the move has irked local officials in those area, they are also calling on the federal government to do more.
In a rare form of bipartisanship, Sen. Ted Cruz and Cuellar will have a press conference Thursday at the border.