GOP leaders visit Texas to spotlight border crisis and immigration issues
A group of Republican lawmakers, including former President Trump, is scheduled to visit McAllen, Texas, with the intention of shining a spotlight on what they describe as an escalating border crisis. This event serves to underscore their belief that current policies under the Biden administration have exacerbated issues at the southern border, including increased illegal crossings and drug trafficking, especially fentanyl.
The trip aims not only to raise awareness of the border's situation but also to advocate for stricter immigration measures. Lawmakers argue that completing the border wall and reinstating the "Remain in Mexico" policy are crucial steps needed to address the ongoing challenges. They suggest that highlighting these issues is essential for both the safety of American citizens and the welfare of migrants caught in the crossfire.
The Border Crisis Explained
Republican officials have called the current state of the border a full-blown crisis, warning that it is a humanitarian and crime emergency. They reference alarming statistics, including a notable increase in fentanyl seizures by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. In just one month, nearly 934 pounds of fentanyl were confiscated at the border—a worrying trend indicating a threefold increase compared to the previous year. This statistic underlines the severity of the drug trafficking situation and its implications for public safety.
In May alone, border enforcement encounters surged to over 180,000, marking a 675% increase from the same month last year. The ongoing situation has resulted in a 21-year high of illegal crossings, raising serious concerns about the security implications of such numbers.
Political Ramifications
The pressing issues at the border have political implications as well, suggesting a potential shift in power as the next election cycle approaches. Republican lawmakers believe public concern over border security may swing voters in their favor, asking the important question: When will President Biden take actionable steps to secure the border?
Some analysts speculate that current inaction may stem from a desire to solidify a Democratic voter base through increased immigration. Lawmakers argue that this approach jeopardizes the safety and security of not only American citizens but also the migrants who fall victim to dangerous cartels and human trafficking networks.
Proposed Solutions
Lawmakers advocate for several straightforward measures to combat the crisis. Their proposals include completing the border wall, reinstating policies that require migrants to stay in Mexico while their asylum claims are processed, and implementing stricter entry protocols for individuals deemed high-risk. They emphasize the urgency of taking these actions to mitigate the situation.
The Role of Media
Despite the gravity of the crisis, some lawmakers express frustration with mainstream media coverage, which they believe often overlooks the real issues at the southern border. The upcoming visit, they argue, will serve as an opportunity to draw necessary media attention to the events unfolding at the border, with the hope that it will inspire more significant national discussions.
This visit to McAllen is more than mere political theater; it reflects a critical moment where border security has taken center stage in American political discourse, likely influencing voter sentiments leading up to the next elections. Lawmakers involved see this as an essential engagement to raise public awareness and advocate for change.
Transcript
Note: This is an auto-generated transcript from YouTube. Please be aware that there may be spelling or transcription errors.
you have a trip planned i don't want to be like uh the spoiler alert here you tell us about it but you are headed somewhere tomorrow with former president trump give us details yes sir we're going down to the border the real border where the crisis is seen most acutely we're going to mccallum texas which is southeast border you saw vice president harris finally finally made a trip a few days ago over to el paso but she did photo ops and got out of there really quickly the real crisis is uh deeper south and that's where we're going to go tomorrow with former president trump we have a group of members from the house who are going to go down there with him and the whole point is to draw more attention to this i mean guys this is a crisis unlike we've never seen down there full-blown crisis created by the open door policies of the button administration and every american needs to have this highlight to see the democrats are doing zero about it mr mike it's interesting because i get way off track here but you say we want to draw attention to but how do you make americans when cnn or the three major networks they're not going to be there watching you tomorrow they're not going to be covering donald trump do you think this is his first uh trip other than you know he did a rally yesterday he's beginning to emerge again but the border is top of mind for everybody in the republican party everybody who lives in in texas and and the border states and and increasingly more and more americans but you're right the mainstream media does not want to pay attention to it i think having trump down there will will ring the bells and and we've got to guys look this is a humanitarian crisis it's a crime crisis there's a couple of stats just to just to think about the u.s customs border patrol right border protection they announced they seized 934 pounds of fentanyl at our southern border just last month alone it's a 300 increase from that same month a year ago um the cbp has seized more fentanyl so far in 2021 than in all of 2020. why is that a problem because fentanyl just two milligram dose of fentanyl is lethal for most people there's 453 000 and some milligrams in a pound we have enough fentanyl to kill every man woman and child in america the cartels are bringing this stuff over they're selling it on the street in small doses you accumulate that dangerous stuff then you got a hundred and eighty thousand plus enforcement encounters at the southern border in may alone the 675 increase over may last year third straight month of that so we we have a 21-year high of illegal crossings those people are coming into the country they're not being tested they're being sent distributed all around the country we've got dangerous people we've got ms-13 we've got human trafficking it's an absolute crisis and yet the politicians in washington those in charge the majority party are doing nothing about it in my mind this is exactly what the democrats want it is not an accident but what i've said all along is when will joe biden close the border when he's 100 sure texas will never vote red again i think that's pretty clear and and some democrats have in their rare moments of candor up here have said as much that you know we need to make sure all these folks invoke i mean i think ultimately it is about power i think you're exactly right but it's in the meantime you've got the safety and security of the american people in jeopardy and of course the migrants themselves and those who become victims of the cartels and the human traffickers the sex traffickers and all the rest these poor children i mean we see these heartbreaking videos but you're exactly right about it robert mainstream media does not want you to see it they want you to look at other things let's talk about infrastructure and not worry about you know what we're doing to our to our national sovereignty and ultimately to the safety and security of everybody the crazy thing about it is this is really really simple to pick you can do five simple things to fix it just finish the wall right we appropriated funding that's not even being used for that reinstate the remaining mexico policy when president trump did that when he had migrants coming they had to stay in mexico to get their asylum claims adjudicated and and biden just erased it with a stroke of the pen you turn away high-risk individuals at the border we know they're dangerous people coming you got to stop them instead of putting out the welcome mat which is what the the by administration the president vice president and their accomplices have done they sent a message to the world that we're encouraging illegal immigration so of course we're going to get that they're going to be some of your constituents that are going to say congressman johnson why are you wasting your time hanging around with donald trump why aren't you doing the business of our state and focusing on the the needs and and um they're going to be critical of you for for these kinds of things which some will say will be just a photo op with mr trump i want i want to give you a minute to talk about that yeah thanks i don't do photo ops um i'm you know i'm the vice chairman of the house republicans i'm the fourth ranked member on this side of the aisle i mean i work 24 hours a day uh and and the results show that but we have to draw attention to this that's the point this this trip unusually part of the purpose is for the photo op that's exactly right because you have to make the media focus on it so the american people can see what's going on and donald trump lightning rod as he is i think is going to draw that attention and that's why i chose this trip to go on uh because i think there's i think there's maybe 20 or so members that are going down there many of them from the texas delegation but those of us from louisiana clay higgins and i will be there because we're so close to this we're beginning to see the effects of this in louisiana and this is a big thing for our district my constituents and all the american people for the reasons i've cited we have to get control of this we cannot allow the spigot so to speak to stay open for for the next three years i mean this is a this is a massive crisis and we are going to continue to beat the drums as loudly and as often as we can to to get action on this i do think there's a reckoning coming in 2022 the next election cycle i think uh the republican party is going to win the majority in the house i think the senate may be in play as well and we'll be able to to unwind some of this but we've got to get from here to there in the meantime we're in a very dangerous situation
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