House Speaker Johnson Leads 64 GOP Reps to Eagle Pass on the Mexican Border
House Republicans are taking a stand – literally – on immigration policy by gathering at the US-Mexico border.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who has warned that financial aid to Ukraine is contingent on “transformative change to our nation’s border security laws,” led a delegation of GOP lawmakers to Eagle Pass, TX last week to meet with local officials. With 64 lawmakers participating, it was the largest congressional border visit in US history.
“Life along the border is turned upside down and that’s exactly what the speaker and my colleagues are going to see,” said Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Texas Republican who represents the jurisdiction in which the border community of Eagle Pass is located. “Enough is enough. It’s time to deport those that illegally come into the United States.”
Despite much hemming and hawing about border security, the Biden Administration has done absolutely nothing to improve the crisis. Just this week, the Administration asked the Supreme Court to reinstate federal authority over the Texas/Mexico border following a lower court order blocking the removal of a razor wire fence that had been erected by Texas law enforcement to prevent migrants from crossing the Rio Grande.
“It’s been an eye opener,” said Johnson after his visit to Texas. “One thing is absolutely clear: America is at a breaking point with record levels of illegal immigration and today we got a firsthand look at the damage and the chaos the border catastrophe is causing in all of our communities. The situation here and across the country is truly unconscionable.”
Migrant apprehensions at the border peaked during the holidays, forcing the temporary closure of railroads and entry ports and prompting Secretary of State Antony Blinken to visit Mexico City to speak directly with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. As reported by ABC News, migrant encounters for the month of December reached 302,000 following 240,998 in October and 242,416 in November.
When Congress reconvenes this week after a holiday recess, the top priority for Republicans will be to reach a deal on immigration.
Knowing they will meet resistance in the Democrat-led Senate, GOP lawmakers have threatened to withhold their support for President Biden’s emergency wartime funding request for Ukraine unless Democrats help them on immigration. The $110.5 billion spending bill includes financial aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, $14 billion for border security, and a major replenishment of US weapons stocks. The deal must be passed by January 19th in order to avoid a partial government shutdown.
“If President Biden wants a supplemental spending bill focused on national security, it better begin with defending America’s national security,” said Speaker Johnson. “We want to get the border closed and secured first.”
Policy goals for Republicans include:
- Provide additional funds to hire more immigration judges
- Make it easier to deport illegals already living inside the country without a court date
- Narrow the scope of humanitarian parole (a federal ability that is used to admit immigrants who do not quality for a visa)
- Alter a law that prevents most asylum seekers from being deported immediately (even if they enter the country illegally)
- Restart border wall construction
- Reinstate former President Donald Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy
In addition, the GOP-led House Committee on Homeland Security will soon move forward with rare impeachment proceedings against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas (a Cuban native who entered the US as a refugee with his parents in 1960) for his poor performance.
Republicans currently control the House of Representatives by a margin of seven voters; Democrats lead the Senate with a margin of two (or three, if you count the Vice President).
Sources:
Speaker Johnson, GOP visit border to pressure Biden, Democrats on immigration deal
White House accuses Republicans of exacerbating border crisis
Speaker Johnson demands hard-line policies during a border visit as Ukraine aid hangs in the balance
House Republicans Rally at Southern Border as Senate Talks Continue
Did we pay for this boondoggle? Why didn’t they just go to the office and do some work? What did they discover — we have un bigum problemo at da borda? BRILLIANT.
Well, they got what they wanted, PRESS COVERAGE, mission accomplished by the MOST UNPRODUCTIVE HOUSE in US history. Less laws passed of any HOUSE for decades. Back to Vietnam era where is where we should send them next to search for POWs and MIAs. All 60 of em.
When is your retarded president going to do some work?
Biden has passed a number of bipartisan bilks including the American rescue plan, infrastructure bill, largest gun safety bill in over 30 years, chips and science act, ukraine protection act, and the IRA.
Seems like a fair amount of accomplishments.
Biden has done nothing but try to be a fucking dictator. But he’s going down and we will MAGA. And freedom will ring. And the jury is still out on his commie gun laws. Remember that the SCOTUS is mostly patriots who don’t legislate from the bench. I can tell that you’re bitter because you’re favorite retard is sucking hind tit.
Gee. Harold, last time I checked, we own the Executive, the Senate, and you have the House and SCOTUS.
That’s us on top, you on bottom, and we are all in this together. You lose, the I lose too.
Maybe if yoy could convince your side to do something, anything, except look for Fox sound bytes, we could move forward.
This trip was an expensive waste of time during office hours. Your House does not legislate beyond bloviate. Tell them to get off their asses and fix something. Anything. ,
We are going to fix America on 11/8/2024. Retard joe will be li The character is the old movie arsnic and old lace who thought he was teddy roosevelt. He will be blowing his bugle in a rest home. The nurses will have him sign napkins and tell him it’s bills. Lol
Frank, why don’t YOU tell them to get off their asses? Have you done ANYTHING constructive or patriotic to help as we The People should do? Have you written letters to the Supreme Court? Did you email any lawyer, politician you think you can trust? Did you phone any of them? Oh, I see, you want everyone else to do YOUR work for your lazy self so you can bully all of us as usual? Are you a true Patriot or a traitor? Seems you want America to die. We all see that in every single one of your responses. I have done all of the above things. I searched GITMO, too and found on their lists that Biden is dead. Executed before the sham inauguration. Washington DC is a now defunct, de facto corporation. Fake Biden is only President of DC, not the United States of America. We are a Republic, not a democracy. Democracy is what we try to practice. Did you even know that? Obama, Big mike, Hillary & Bill and Chelsea, Chuck Shumer, Jerry Nadler (who is spending life in prison) Adam Shiff, James Comey, Vindman, Kemp, Colin Powell. Nancy Pelosi, Podesta, Maxine, Beto O’Rourke, Mitt Romney, Susan Collins, Loretta Lynch, Newsom and many, many more have already been executed. These names are straight from GITMO! You should do your homework and look it up, but you won’t because it will prove the liar you are and always will be! I feel very sad for you that you refuse to do the right thing because it is the right thing to do.
How many illegals’ entered the country when Trump was President?
How many illegals’ have entered the country under Biden Presidency?
Enough said!
I don’t know, how many Darren?
How many, Frank? Do you know? You should as you portend to know everything. You tell us. We’re waiting for more of your bullying.