Republican senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley accused the Biden government on Tuesday of ignoring a crisis on the southern border after revelations that Customs and Border Protection closed checkpoints on the highways so that personnel could be redirected to deal with the increase in migrants.
Senators urged Biden to act hours after Fox News reported that CBP closed a trio of checkpoints in Willcox, Arizona. The number of migrant children in custody at federal border facilities has tripled to 3,250 in the past two weeks, with many detained for longer than the three days allowed by law.
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“How much longer will it take for the Biden government to admit that there is a crisis at the border?” Cruz wrote on Twitter.
Hawley called on the Biden administration for not acting.
“The frontier is approaching a total crisis, and Administrator Biden’s response is … nothing,” said Hawley.
Authorities have noticed an increase in immigration on the southern border since Biden joined the White House in January. CBP will release figures this week that are expected to show about 100,000 seizures in February alone, compared to 78,000 in January.
So far, the White House has resisted calls to label the situation on the crisis frontier.
“I don’t think we need to sit here and put new labels on what we’ve already broadcast is a challenge,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told a news conference.
Biden reversed a number of Trump-era immigration policies in the first weeks of his government. Despite the changes, Psaki said that the “majority” of people who reach the border are rejected.
Earlier this week, Department of Homeland Security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Monday asked officials to offer to help CBP with what he described as “an overwhelming number” of migrants.
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CBP sources warned that the decision to close checkpoints could weaken efforts to combat trafficking and allow smugglers to have easier access to the border.
The agency confirmed the change in a statement to Fox on Tuesday.
“The Tucson Sector has redirected the workforce, based on operational needs in response to changing traffic patterns, resulting in the closure of several tactical checkpoints in southeastern Arizona,” said CBP in a statement on the closure of checkpoints.
The agency said the checkpoints will be reopened “as labor and activity levels dictate”.
Fox News’ Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.