In a recent development, fourteen Democrats joined Republicans in passing a GOP-led resolution that condemns President Biden’s immigration policies. The resolution, introduced by Republican Representative Monica De La Cruz of Texas, who represents a border district, highlights the concerns over the Biden administration’s handling of the border crisis. It is worth noting that De La Cruz was chosen to give the Spanish-language rebuttal to Biden’s State of the Union address last week.
The resolution specifically targets President Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, accusing them of creating the “worst border security crisis in the Nation’s history.” It also criticizes the administration for its asylum policies, which some argue have contributed to the border crisis. Moreover, the resolution alleges that the administration has violated immigration laws by not detaining inadmissible aliens at the border.
This vote comes on the heels of a press conference held by the House Democrats’ newly-created task force on border security, where they called for bipartisan solutions to address the crisis. One of the proposals they are advocating for is the Senate’s bipartisan $118 billion border security and foreign aid package. However, Republicans in both the House and Senate have criticized this proposal.
Speaking about the need for action, Democratic Representative Tom Suozzi of New York stated, “To solve this problem, you need to have action by the United States Congress. And this group has come together to say, listen, we see this bipartisan bill in the Senate. It doesn’t do everything we want, but it will solve this problem. So let’s do it. Let’s move forward.”
Republican Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana has been actively focusing on the border crisis and immigration since assuming the helm of the House GOP Conference in October. Earlier this year, he led a delegation of over 60 Republicans to the U.S.-Mexico border to draw attention to the issue. Additionally, he spearheaded the historic vote to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas in February, making it the first time a Cabinet secretary was impeached by the U.S. Congress since 1876.
According to an analysis, nearly 7.3 million migrants have illegally crossed the southwest border since President Biden’s inauguration. This staggering number surpasses the population of 36 individual states.
The resolution passed by these fourteen Democrats signifies a growing dissatisfaction within the party regarding the handling of the border crisis. As the situation continues to escalate, it remains to be seen what steps the Biden administration will take to address these concerns and regain control of the border.
