Two border democrats announced their pensions ahead of the 2022 cycle amid the growing border crisis that the Biden government is having trouble controlling.
Congressman Filemon Vela, D-Texas, announced that he will not seek re-election to his seat in the House as the border crisis grows and redistricting in the state of Texas is approaching.
Vela is the second Democrat to announce his retirement after the 117th Congress, joining Arizona Democratic Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick, who announced her retirement earlier this month.
Both members have districts along the United States’ border with Mexico, in states where Republicans want to get seats in the 2022 legislative elections. Retirement comes at a time when President Joe Biden is facing an immigration crisis on the southern border. that your government struggles to maintain control.
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Vela confirmed his retirement on Monday, saying in a statement that he will work on efforts to keep the Democratic majority in both chambers of Congress.
“I will not seek re-election to the House of Representatives in 2022,” said the Texas Democrat. “I will continue to focus on keeping a Democratic majority in the House and Senate in my capacity as a member of Congress and vice president of the Democratic National Committee, while working diligently for the people I am so grateful to represent.”
His announcement was made the same day that his Texas Democratic colleague, Deputy Henry Cuellar, released photos that illustrate conditions within the migrant detention facilities in Donna, Texas – the area of the Lone Star State that Vela represents.
Calvin Moore, director of communications for the Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF), which is dedicated to electing Republicans to the House, said people should expect more Democrats to follow legislators’ guidelines.
“House Democrats are fleeing because they know that the worsening border crisis and socialist political agenda will cost them the majority,” said Moore. “We expect more Democrats to follow Kirkpatrick and Vela towards early retirement than to face defeat in 2022.”
Neither Vela nor Kirkpatrick’s office responded to Fox News questions about whether or not the border crisis had an influence on their retirement decisions.
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The two legislators’ retirement comes as Biden continues to struggle to control the situation on the southern border.
Photos from Cuellar’s office showed that the Biden government is putting migrants in transparent pens. Democrats blame former President Donald Trump for the crisis, saying the former president left them in a bad position.