Dem Finally Breaks Silence On Immigration After Texas Enters State Of Emergency
El Paso is in a "dire scenario" owing to a "hurricane of migrants," according to Rep. Tony Gonzales, whose district in West Texas runs for more than 800 miles along the US-Mexico border.
"This is something you do when there's a hurricane, a fire, or an earthquake," the Texas Republican said on CBS's "Face the Nation." "What is happening is it's a hurricane of migrants, and everyone is impacted."
El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser, a Democrat, announced a state of emergency to give the city with resources and capacity to meet the massive influx of migrants, and Gonzales said on Sunday that the city is in the same situation that Del Rio was about a year ago.
"This is something you do when there's a hurricane, a fire, or an earthquake," the Texas Republican said on CBS's "Face the Nation." "What is happening is it's a hurricane of migrants, and everyone is impacted."
El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser, a Democrat, announced a state of emergency to give local officials with the resources and capacity to shelter the overwhelming number of migrants, and Gonzales said Sunday that the city is in the same situation that Del Rio was about a year ago.
"I was just in El Paso a few days ago, and what I saw at the migrant center I had never seen before," he said. "I have visited the processing center there many times. What I saw were hundreds, over 500 migrants in a pod — they call them pods — essentially a large cell that holds about 100 people. There's one bathroom, and the odor is terrible. And there are eight pods in there. And so those are the good conditions."
The senator posted video of himself visiting the facility, claiming he went there to show the facts of the situation and to let Border Patrol agents know they are not forgotten.
"It's not about politics," he said. "It's not about you know, trying to create this image that isn't there. This is the reality. These are the facts. We're not even at the worst of it yet. Hundreds of people stuck in a small area are not good for everyone. What I also saw were people without socks and jackets. It's going to be in the teens later this week. It's a very sad situation all the way around."
"There are some things that the administration can immediately do to alleviate this stress," he said. "They can re-implement a couple of programs that made sense, PACER and the HEART program. That's essentially having immigration judges at the border, meaning you get your asylum case heard in days, not years."
Gonzales said he worries that if something isn't done, "we may be shutting bridges down," which will harm El Paso's economy.
"El Paso produces $138 billion worth of trade," he said. "If you shut down one day of that trade and commerce, that $60 million, it'll impact everybody, not just those that live along the border."
The Biden administration is requesting $3.4 billion from Congress to prepare for the surge, and Gonzales acknowledged that money is required but that throwing money at the problem will not fix it.
"You can have an unlimited amount of soft-sided facilities. The problem is enforcing the laws that are already on the books."
Gonzales points out that most of the people seeking asylum don't really qualify under the law.
"Work visas make sense to me," said Gonzales. "A pathway to citizenship, amnesty, that is dead on arrival. What people have tried before has no chance of working."
Gonzales said that hearings to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will "certainly take place" if Republicans assume control of the House on January 3, but it won't assist El Paso right now.
"I take impeachment extremely seriously," he said. "Impeachment, that's a long process. The city of El Paso needs help today, not a year from now."
This is only the beginning after the administration lifted the last stitch of border security.