I just returned from the border
It’s worse than I thought.
Friends,
I have just recently returned from a visit to our southern border and it's worse than I thought.
While touring several sites and meeting with border patrol agents on the ground, they confirmed what I have been saying all along: the Biden border crisis is a humanitarian, national security, and public health crisis.
I arrived at the border last Thursday night and received a briefing from agents at the McAllen Border Patrol Station. Agents confirmed that in March, 172,000 migrants were apprehended - a 71% increase over one year ago and the highest total in 15 years. Agents also saw another 38,000 migrants crossing that they were unable to apprehend, bringing the total to 210,000 individuals. This is the same population as the city of Fayetteville crossing our border in one month – a staggering figure.
Included in this total were nearly 19,000 unaccompanied minors, the largest monthly total ever recorded and above previous highs of 11,475 in May 2019 and 10,620 in June 2014. Especially during a pandemic, this surge is leading to dangerous overcrowding and heartbreaking conditions for thousands of children.
On Friday, I saw these conditions firsthand at the Donna Migration Processing Facility. There in pods with a capacity for 33 children, I saw one with 450 boys and another with 700 girls. Overall, the facility made for 250 children has more than 3,500 individuals crammed inside. One girl had been there for 28 days, despite the law which says kids must be taken into custody after a maximum of 72 hours.
As a dad, these conditions are truly heartbreaking. Even worse, agents described how smugglers and cartels making up to $14 million a day are using these children to tie up resources at the border so that they can continue trafficking and bringing in illicit drugs through gaps that are created. Adding to these national security concerns, just in the last week, agents apprehended the second person from Yemen on the FBI's terror watch list and an MS-13 gang member.
The sad and dangerous reality of the situation at the border affects our entire nation, including North Carolina. Last month, for example, it was reported that migrants with COVID were released at the border and traveling to our state.
But it didn't have to be this way.
The record-setting surge we are seeing right now at the border is the result of the Biden-Harris administration reversing policies that worked. Every border agent I spoke to acknowledged we had a border crisis in 2019. However, we fixed it by building more border wall, increasing border security, entering into asylum agreements with North Triangle Central American countries, and implementing the ‘remain in Mexico' rule which was an agreement with Mexico to process asylum-seekers there before entering the U.S. Unfortunately, President Biden reversed these policies on his first day in office. In fact, also on Friday, I toured sections of the border wall with gaps plainly visible where construction was stopped by the president on day one.
In reversing these policies, President Biden and Vice President Harris have forced more migrants to cross our border, compounded by previous promises to halt deportations and give illegal immigrants health care, stimulus checks and a pathway to citizenship. Each of these actions and promises have only made the problem worse.
Unfortunately, President Biden and Vice President Harris still have not traveled to the border to see the situation for themselves. Last week, Nancy Pelosi went so far as to say, "The fact is that we're on a good path at the border under the leadership of President Joe Biden." This denial is dangerous for our country and for those risking their lives to get to the border.
I care deeply for those legitimately seeking asylum in our country and wanting a better life. We should work together to fix our broken immigration system and help those fleeing oppression, abuse and poverty. Like most of you, I believe securing our border and ensuring people come into our county legally should be step one. Following my visit, I look forward to returning to Washington to help focus on bipartisan solutions to end this crisis, secure the border, and protect our country.
Until next week,
Richard Hudson
Member of Congres