Washington Examiner

The week Republicans got serious about the border

Anna Giaritelli - 4h ago


Provided by Washington ExaminerThe week Republicans got serious about the border

Republicans are upping the ante with more aggressive and urgent messaging on the border crisis less than five months out from the midterm elections.
State leaders and lawmakers in Congress have torn into President Joe Biden for his handling of the U.S.-Mexico border crisis for nearly a year and a half, but they amplified their concerns this week, bringing their border solutions front and center as a plethora of other concerns — inflation, Ukraine, and abortion — fight for the attention of voters.

“From my perspective, it's been a big issue. And it will continue to be one with all the folks coming across,” said Brendan Steinhauser, a veteran GOP operative who led successful campaigns for Sen. John Cornyn and Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas. “Just the sheer numbers, the volume, I think that's what's driving a lot of this because Gov. Abbott, congressman Chip Roy, and others are saying the federal government continues not to do anything.”
Roy debuted a plan on Monday to address “loopholes” in immigration law that he argued allow noncitizens to cross the border illegally, then get released into the United States, leading more people to come knowing they may not be deported. More than any policy, Roy said the Republican Party needs to find its voice on the issue.
CARAVAN MIGRANTS NEAR U.S. BORDER AS OTHER GROUPS CROSS INTO TEXAS
“It doesn’t have to be this way," Roy wrote in an opinion article for the Washington Examiner. "The people both need and deserve a secure border, but ending the crisis is going to require Republicans in Washington, D.C., to grow a spine, dig in, and fight to keep their promises for once.
"If the people ever again entrust Republicans to lead the House of Representatives or any other part of the federal government, there can be no more excuses,” Roy continued, calling on the party to force the completion of Trump-era border wall projects, remove all illegal immigrants in the country, and unabashedly go after cartels.
Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX), who is seeking a third term in office this November, endorsed Roy’s detailed plan in a post on Twitter and called for the hundreds of Republicans running for House and Senate seats this year to follow suit.
Eight GOP senators then released a 56-page report detailing how the Biden administration’s border and immigration policies encourage illegal migration and have put national security in jeopardy.
The number of migrants encountered attempting to enter the U.S. illegally from Mexico rose in May, surpassing all previous records over the past century, an indication of the scale of the illegal immigration crisis at the border.
U.S. border officials intercepted 239,416 migrants attempting to enter the country illegally last month, the fourth consecutive monthly rise. In the first 16 full months of Biden's term in office, federal law enforcement officials at the southern border have stopped noncitizens attempting to cross into the U.S. without permission 2.975 million times, including migrants denied admission at ports of entry.
“President Biden’s border crisis continues to shatter records. This is a national security nightmare that only gets worse by the day,” echoed Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY). “It’s time for the White House to act. Our report lays out immediate steps the Biden administration can take right now to secure our border. Tackling the root causes of illegal immigration and reinstating important Trump-era reforms that we know work will help stop the surge of migrants from overrunning our border.”
On Wednesday, Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) held a press conference on Capitol Hill alongside the head of the Border Patrol union, Brandon Judd, to call on Biden to visit the border. Biden has not visited the southern border since taking office.
"You need to go to the border and hear from the agents in the communities in Texas and Arizona, the hell it's like to live along the southern border," Graham said. "President Biden, if you do not go to our border to visit firsthand and see what's going on and to hear from the Border Patrol agents themselves, you're letting down your country, you're derelict in your duty, and there will be repercussions ... for that lack of interest here in the Senate."
Holding Democrats' feet to the fire could prove a successful tactic for Republicans if they win back majorities in the House and Senate, leaving Democrats with control of the White House, Steinhauser said.
"If you're Biden and you have a huge midterm loss and your approval rating is low and you've got all these issues — maybe if Republicans come to you and say, 'All right, you do these things on border security, and we'll give you some stuff on the dreamers.' I don't think it's that crazy," Steinhauser said. "Republicans can sort of tell the base, 'Hey, we got the security measures done.' The business community on the Republican side might feel good about some of the other things. And then Biden can say, 'I got something done.'"

The week Republicans got serious about the border (msn.com)