McALLEN, Texas — Members of the U.S. Home of Representatives’ Drawback Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan group made up of 28 Democrats and 28 Republicans, received a first-hand have a look at the McAllen Border Patrol Station in Texas on Monday. The station is liable for patrolling 53 miles of U.S.-Mexico border alongside the Rio Grande.
“We noticed plenty of youngsters and plenty of households and lots of people being exploited,” mentioned U.S. Rep. Thomas Suozzi, a New York Democrat. “The federal authorities, who all of us work for, has failed to deal with this drawback for 30 years.”
The journey comes after a document surge of almost 19,000 unaccompanied minors crossed the border final month. Border officers mentioned they estimate multiple million unaccompanied minors will enter the U.S. illegally this yr alone. Immigration reform and border safety are a legislative precedence for the Drawback Solvers Caucus.
“You have to have compassion for the scenario,” mentioned U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, who represents Pennsylvania’s ninth District, which incorporates a part of Berks County. “On the identical word, we hear from the CBP and the legislation enforcement that if we create an incentive, merely extra will come.”
This was Meuser’s go to to the border as a member of the caucus. He is among the many lawmakers who mentioned the Biden Administration’s polices create an open border and encourage unlawful immigration. He’s imploring the president to reinstate sure Trump-era protocols just like the stay in Mexico coverage
“We can not afford this to be a scenario the place immigration reform is whiplash between two events in Washington, D.C., or between no matter administration or majority is available in,” mentioned U.S. Rep. Ed Case, a Hawaii Democrat.
On prime of getting to work with one another to undertake legal guidelines which can be constant and enforceable, lawmakers on each side of the aisle mentioned there must be cooperation with nations like Honduras and Guatemala in addition to Mexico.
“We’d like a dedication to put out a plan after which, collectively, see it by,” Meuser mentioned, “and we’d like Congress to behave.”
On Monday, White Home officers introduced the Biden Administration has reached a cope with Mexico to maintain 10,000 Mexican troops on its southern border to assist stem the circulation of migrants.
