EXCLUSIVE: More than 50 House Republicans on Tuesday warned President Biden of a growing “crisis” of illegal migration on the southern border amid indications of an increase in numbers – just as Biden has put forward a series of policies that limit security border and inspection of the interior.
“This is not a political game – we implore you not to let ideology blind your government to the need to protect the border, to defend the Americans and to avoid another humanitarian crisis that has empowered the cartel,” says the letter, obtained by Fox News, says.
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The letter, from 51 Republicans and led by Congressman Chip Roy, R-Texas, warns of a “growing crisis of illegal migration” and says local sources said that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents have seen the daily average the flow of migrants across the border increases to more than 3,500 a day, compared to 2,000 last month. Meanwhile, the number of unaccompanied foreign children is approaching 300 a day.
“CBP has not seen numbers like this since the height of the immigration crisis in the summer of 2019,” said lawmakers. “CBP has found more than 200,000 illegal migrants since October and the numbers are increasing. To put it in context, in the first three months of fiscal 2020, CBP found 128,347 ”, say lawmakers.
The Republicans’ letter, which includes Reps. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, Lauren Boebert, R-Col. And Lance Gooden, R-Texas, also notes recent seizures of more than 11 Iranians on the Arizona border – which has also seen a broader increase in pedestrian traffic.
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The increase in migration comes amid a new policy change in relation to illegal immigration by the Biden government compared to the Trump administration.
Biden halted the construction of the wall on the southern border, proposed a path to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants, reinforced protections for recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and sought to impose a 100-day moratorium on deportations. He also ordered a review of the Protocols for the Protection of Migrants (MPP), which keeps migrants in Mexico pending their immigration hearings.
Meanwhile, the government recently opened a new overflow facility to deal with migrant children arriving in the country.
Republicans link the border increase to the new government’s new outlook, arguing that the numbers increased during the transition and that such an increase was “predictable”.
“Furthermore, it is worrying to see your government perceiving our border security issues as a political game, rather than the very serious threat that open borders offer Americans and migrants looking to come here,” says the letter.
“We are once again on the verge of a huge humanitarian crisis, putting the lives of migrants and police at risk in the hands of the violent cartels that their government has further strengthened,” says the document.
Lawmakers note that, so far, Biden has not rescinded the Title 42 public health order that allows migrants to be returned quickly – but warn that if he does, it would lead to “catastrophic” flows overnight.
Lawmakers request immediate briefings for House Republicans from the new DHS secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas – which was confirmed last week by the Senate.
The letter comes a day after White House press secretary Jen Psaki was pressured about the reported guidance that would save illegal immigrants with DUIs from deportation.
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“The priority for the enforcement of immigration laws will be over those who pose a threat to national security … and over newcomers,” said Psaki during a news conference. “Nobody is saying that DUIs or aggression are acceptable behaviors, and those arrested for such activities should be tried and convicted as appropriate by local authorities. But we are talking about prioritizing who will be deported from the country.”
Fox News’s Brittany de Lea contributed to this report.