EAGLE PASS, Texas — A host of House Republicans descended on Eagle Pass for a firsthand look at a migrant surge into the heart of the small Texas border town. More than 13,000 migrants entered the United States in Eagle Pass over the past eight days. During an afternoon press brief on Monday near the Rio Grande, most touted using the “power of the purse” to force the Biden administration to seal the border.
The delegation, led by Congressman Tony Gonzales (R-TX), received briefings from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Border Patrol, and the Maverick County Sheriff’s Office. They also received a private tour of the soft-sided migrant processing facility in Eagle Pass. According to Gonzales, the facility currently has an estimated 5,000 migrants in custody. The facility that operates at a monthly cost of $6 Million is at five times its rated capacity of 1,000 migrants.
After the day’s border tour, Congressman Gonzales told reporters, “Now more than ever, Congress needs to pass a strong budget that puts a stop to Biden’s open-borders agenda. This should not be a partisan issue.”
“My message is clear – end catch and release, stop using asylum as a hall pass, and put our Border Patrol Agents back on the frontlines,” the Texas congressman stated.
Congressman Gonzales was joined by fellow U.S. Representatives Jodey Arrington (R-TX), August Pfluger (R-TX-), Ronny Jackson (R-TX), Nathaniel Moran (R-TX), and Brandon Williams (R-NY). Sharply criticizing the Biden Administration’s handling of the record-breaking surges in migrant crossings, some delegation members touched on the looming budget battle in Washington as the fiscal year ends. They propose tying the border situation to the passage of any continuing resolution to keep the government open.
Breitbart Texas spoke to Representative Arrington, who says the problems at the border involve a misuse of authority from top to bottom. Regarding the use of humanitarian parole to admit more than 1,400 migrants daily to pursue asylum through land ports of entry, Arrington called the practice “de facto amnesty.”
Arrington says the Biden administration has created the migration crisis at the southern border by not enforcing immigration laws currently at their disposal. He said, “Biden is violating Title 8 of the U.S. Code by not detaining migrants — the law says shall detain, he is not.”
“There are no consequences for crossing the border illegally and that is why we have 10,000 crossings daily,” the congressman from Lubbock, Texas added.
Expressing concern with Congress’ ability to address the problem, Arrington says the states may have to lean in on the issue while the budget battle in Washington, D.C. continues.
“We need to support the states, like Texas, that are trying to stop this,” Arrington explained. “Negotiating with (Senator) Chuck Schumer and President Biden is not going to get us as much as we need.”
“Congress is broken. It’s hard to have any hope they’re going to do much about the border crisis,” Arrington said, “but we are going to push and use the power of the purse.”
On Monday, as the delegation toured the border city of Eagle Pass, nearly 1,800 migrants would pour into the border city by days end. As reported by Breitbart Texas, almost 1,400 migrants made landfall on the U.S. bank of the Rio Grande in the heart of downtown.
According to a source within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, nearly 15,000 migrants have crossed into Eagle Pass in the last eight days. The unprecedented migrant surge has strained the agency’s resources, impacting routine patrols outside a small footprint in the city.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.
