Republicans and some Democrats are pressuring President Biden to take action on border security, particularly after reversing Trump’s border-related executive orders.
Democrats like Rep. Lou Correa and Rep. Vincente Gonzalez are open to reviewing potential border deals, while Rep. Mike Johnson insists that Biden has the executive authority to address the border crisis.
Johnson also opposes a prospective border deal that would allow thousands of migrants to enter the U.S. per day.
“There’s a lot of issues here, OK? There’s some things he could do,” Rep. Lou Correa said.
“I’m hoping that as soon as the Senate comes up with their deal, that we get at least a shot at looking at it, voting. I’m not sure if I’ll support it. Give us a shot at voting on it.”
“We need to send a message to the world that if you show up to our southern border, you don’t just get to come in,” Rep. Vincente Gonzalez said.
“President Biden falsely claimed yesterday he needs Congress to pass a new law to allow him to close the southern border, but he knows that is untrue,” Johnson wrote.
“As I explained to him in a letter late last year, and have specifically reiterated to him on multiple occasions since, he can and must take executive action immediately to reverse the catastrophe he has created.”
“I am emphasizing again today that House Republicans will vigorously oppose any policy proposal from the White House or Senate that would further incentivize illegal aliens to break our laws,” Johnson wrote in a letter.
A recent report from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) revealed a significant increase in illegal migrant crossings since Biden reversed his predecessor’s border enforcement policies, leading to a backlog of over 6 million cases and a surge in arrests of suspected terrorists and violent offenders.
“The year-end report from U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement released Friday showed nearly every measure of illegal immigration rose substantially in 2023, candidly admitting the southern border’s being overrun by millions of illegal crossers has taken a major toll on the agency,” the report noted.
“While ICE carefully prioritized its resources to meet these evolving mission needs and agency personnel continued to perform at a high standard, these increased demands have strained a workforce that has remained relatively static for the past decade,” the report read.
