Thread: As Tensions Over Immigration Rise, Paul Ryan Visits Border

February 22, 2017
by LEIGH ANN CALDWELL and SUZANNE GAMBOA

House Speaker Paul Ryan made his first ever trip to the U.S.-Mexico border Wednesday as tensions over immigration policies mount and the initial work towards construction of President Trump's wall is set to begin. He and House Homeland Security chair Michael McCaul and a handful of other GOP members toured the Rio Grande river on horseback

Ryan didn't take the press with him on his trip to McAllen, Texas but he was led by officials from the Department of Homeland Security "to examine the challenges of securing the border and learn more about the issues facing border communities," according to Ryan spokesman Doug Andres.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly pledged to build a wall along the Mexico border, a multi-billion dollar project that will have to be approved by Congress. Ryan said that he expects the White House to send an emergency funding request to Congress to begin the construction of the wall soon, but the administration has yet to request federal funding as of Wednesday.

Immigration advocates, however, are worried that Ryan won't receive a full understanding of border town challenges because he's not scheduled to meet with border residents. Chris Rickerd, policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, said that Democratic members of Congress visited McAllen last week and held town halls with residents.

"Unfortunately, it doesn't appear Speaker Ryan and Rep. McCaul are interested in hearing from people living at the border,"Rickerd said.

Ryan's trip also comes as the Trump administration's immigration policies continue to draw protests around the country. The administration this week released two orders that greatly expand the number of people targeted for deportation. Some estimates show that up to eight million of the estimated 11 million undocumented people living in the U.S. could be deported.

The orders also attempt to restrict the ability to seek asylum and crack down on parents who pay smugglers to bring their children into the U.S., as some Central American parents have done.

In 2016, McAllen saw an increase in the number of unaccompanied children and families attempting to enter the U.S.

While most Democratic members of Congress, mayors and governors immediately panned the immigration orders, saying they will divide communities, jeopardize people's safety and cause immigrants to live in fear, many Republicans applauded the move.

Ryan, however, has not released a statement on the orders. Neither has the top Republican in the Senate, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Ryan had previously dismissed the idea of mass deportation, saying in a CNN town hall event on January 12 that there will be no deportation force.

"I'm here to tell you, in Congress, it's not happening," he said. "But if you're worried about, you know, some deportation force coming, knocking on your door this year, don't worry about that."

Just last week, McConnell was reluctant to answer any questions about the draft immigration proposals that had been leaked to the press.

"I'll take a look at anything they may choose to do in that regard," he said in a news conference Friday.

Most Democrats have been highly critical of the new immigration orders. Rep. Bennie Thompson, top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, called the orders "unwise and heartless."

"Resources are not unlimited: when available resources are used to detain and remove law-abiding immigrants and break apart families, there are less resources to find and remove dangerous criminals from our streets," Thompson said.

Also notable is that two Hispanic Republican members of Congress, Rep. Ileanna Ros-Lehtinen and Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, both of Florida, have yet to issue statements on the orders.

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health...pharma-n724311

This is Paul Ryan's first trip to the border???? About time!

Immigration advocates, however, are worried that Ryan won't receive a full understanding of border town challenges because he's not scheduled to meet with border residents. Chris Rickerd, policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, said that Democratic members of Congress visited McAllen last week and held town halls with residents.

"Unfortunately, it doesn't appear Speaker Ryan and Rep. McCaul are interested in hearing from people living at the border,"Rickerd said.

While I can sympathize with some of the locals concerns, I think it is important that they realize this is less of a local issue and more of a national issue. Whether a ranchers cow can get to the river for a drink just isn't that important when considering the damage open borders is doing to our country.

Lisa Rein
The Washington Post
February 22, 2017

House Speaker Paul Ryan led a delegation of House Republicans on a six-hour tour of the U.S.-Mexico border Wednesday, seeing firsthand by helicopter, horse and boat the security challenges of keeping out undocumented immigrants President Donald Trump wants to block with a costly wall.

Ryan, R-Wis., on his first trip to the border, said in a statement afterward that U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents on the ground need "more tools and more support . . . for them to do their jobs effectively." He said Congress "is committed to securing the border and enforcing our laws" and pledged cooperation with the Trump administration.

"When you see with your own eyes the many challenges facing our law enforcement professionals along the border, it gives you even greater respect for the work that they do day in and day out," Ryan said.

But he did not comment directly on the border wall that is opposed by many Democrats and some in his own party, who worry Republicans committed to reining in government spending will not find billions of dollars for a huge construction project.

Ryan's visit to the Rio Grande Valley on the southern tip of Texas began with a protest outside the U.S. Border Patrol Station in McAllen, where about 100 activists gathered Wednesday morning hoping to meet with him. But the speaker arrived early and was already in the building before they came, the Monitor of McAllen reported.

Protesters have mobilized nationally to fight the Trump administration's promised crackdown on illegal immigration. The administration stepped up this week with new policies that dramatically expand the number of migrants targeted by authorities for deportation.

Ryan has not formally responded to the new orders, but in January he promised at a town hall event that there would be no "deportation force."

On Wednesday, the speaker was joined by House Republicans representing southern border states: Reps. Michael McCaul (Texas), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee; John Carter (Texas); and Martha McSally (Ariz.); and Homeland Security officials. The news media were not allowed on the tour.

The lawmakers heard from agents who apprehend undocumented immigrants crossing from Mexico - a majority of whom are fleeing violence in Central America - and turn themselves in to authorities. They learned how those who enter the country illegally are processed and held in detention centers. They saw the varied geography of the region. But they did not meet with residents of the communities around the border, leading to criticism from local advocates.

The tour was the highest profile of several visits by members of Congress during the February recess. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, rode along with Border Patrol agents last week. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, led five GOP lawmakers on a separate tour of the Rio Grande Valley this week. Cornyn has taken a more nuanced approach than the president and some lawmakers to building a wall, saying that enforcement and technology must accompany any physical barrier.

And Democrats in the Congressional Hispanic and Border caucuses met with community groups to denounce the wall as a detriment to immigrant communities.

Juanita Valdez-Cox, executive director of LUPE, an advocacy group founded by activist César Chávez, told the Monitor she expects negative rhetoric from Congress to escalate once Ryan returns to Washington.

"This visit is for him to be able to say that he's been here and seen the Rio Grande Valley, when in fact he is neglecting to hear the stories and concerns from the people who live here," Valdez-Cox said. "My fear is that it's a plan to be able to justify Trump's wall."

McAllen is a fast-growing city of 141,000 in the Rio Grande Valley, which last year ranked as the busiest sector for illegal border crossings, largely because of a surge in unaccompanied children and families from Central America.

The river snakes through the region, forming the natural border between the United States and Mexico. It serves as a reminder of the complicated topography of building a wall, since it contains rivers, mountains and other rugged terrain.

Congress is beginning to assess the cost of building the president's signature campaign promise. Trump has vowed to make Mexico cover the cost, but the Mexican government has balked at the plan.

At the moment, the project has no reliable price tag. Trump has estimated the cost at $8 billion. Recent congressional legislation pegged the number at $10 billion, and construction experts say it could be more than double that.

Congressional Republicans seem amenable to underwriting the wall themselves - at least at first - although some budget hawks have said they want cuts to other federal spending to compensate. About 600 miles of the 2,000-mile southern border are covered by fencing that ranges in height from three feet to about 20 feet.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/n...222-story.html

by BOB PRICE
24 Feb 2017
McAllen, TX
635 comments

House Speaker Paul Ryan paid a visit to the Texas/Mexico Border where he was taken for a ride by a horse he could not control. Border Patrol agents quickly corralled the horse that attempted to run off with Speaker Ryan and led him back to the group.

The incident occurred as Ryan was receiving a staged border show from U.S. Border Patrol officials. During part of the tour, Ryan mounted a horse, without a riding helmet according to a criticism made by The Hill, to get an up-close look at the border. Shortly after mounting up, Ryan’s horse appeared to take off with him, and the speaker seemed not to be able to control the trained patrol animal. Two Border Patrol agents were seen riding to his rescue. The two agents corralled the horse and led the speaker back to the group.

This was Speaker Ryan’s first visit to the border despite having run for vice president in 2012 serving as Speaker of the House for more than two years.

House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Representative John Carter (R-TX) accompanied the speaker on the tour.

Following his tour, which also included a boat ride along the river and a border security briefing, Speaker Ryan discussed the Trump Administration’s new immigration policies and the construction of the wall.

Ryan said he was there to examine the challenges of securing the border and learn more about the issues facing border communities, Inform News reported.

However, Breitbart Texas learned the speaker did not meet directly with representatives of the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC), the union that represents 18,000 agents.

NBPC President Brandon Judd told Breitbart Texas he looks forward to working with the speaker in the future regarding the issues facing his agents.

Breitbart Texas’ Editor-in-Chief Brandon Darby has frequently encouraged elected officials to bypass the “Potemkin Village” tour put on by U.S. Customs and Border Protection executive management and meet directly with the men and women who put their lives on the line every day.

Darby said it is critical for our leaders or prospective leaders to talk with the men and women who patrol the border. He said they also need to do more than just see the fancy dog and pony show conducted by Border Patrol executives for VIPs.

“They get this big fancy tour that is not representative of what the agents usually are dealing with, and how unsecured the border usually is,” Darby said on Breitbart News Radio.

Darby has repeatedly taken political leaders to the border and lets them experience the realities on the ground, particularly at night.

Darby said there are political leaders who take the open border problem seriously. He relayed that he was impressed and encouraged when he caught Louie Gohmert on the border, “undercover, dressed like a bum, hiding, talking to agents trying to see for himself what was going on.”

http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2017/...e-border-tour/