Tenney Visits Southern Border to Assess Crisis and Meet with Law Enforcement

El Paso, Texas -- Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-22), member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today visited the Southern Border in El Paso, Texas, to assess the ongoing immigration crisis and meet with law enforcement. Tenney was briefed by El Paso Sector Chief Gloria Chavez, who is responsible for overseeing nearly 264 miles of border between the United States and Mexico. The El Paso Sector, along with others across our Southern Border, has seen a significant increase in the number of illegal crossings since January, including a dramatic spike in the number of children crossing the border illegally. 

"We have a crisis at our Nation’s Southern Border, and it’s a direct result of President Biden's misguided decision to reverse the previous administration’s policies. Especially heartbreaking is the dramatic increase in the number of unaccompanied children who are crossing the border, many facing physical and mental abuse along the way. This drives home that this isn’t just a national security crisis but a humanitarian one that we must address with compassion. 

“I am leaving this visit with an even deeper sense of respect and admiration for the men and women of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP) who are putting their lives on the line each day to protect our Nation. Chief Chavez and the CBP agents I met with not only stand guard on the front lines of our border, they are also being asked to provide humanitarian aid and assistance to those they encounter. We owe them a significant debt of gratitude.

“Unfortunately, Congress and this Administration are not giving them the support they deserve and need to fulfill their core mission of protecting our national security. As a result of this trip and my frank conversations with CBP agents, it is abundantly clear that we must do more. First, we must immediately restart work on completing the border barrier system, which the Biden Administration inexplicably halted. A border barrier doesn’t stop all illegal immigration, but it is a tremendous tool that allows law enforcement to better manage the situation more safely. Second, we need to invest in technology. There are proven technologies that help border agents identify illegal activity and address it while reducing risks. Congress needs to fund and fully deploy these technologies. Finally, Congress needs to provide CBP with greater budget flexibility so they’re able to surge financial resources in times of crisis like we are seeing now. 

“These are three immediate priorities I am going to work on in Congress as a result of my trip to the border and discussions with CBP agents. I hope my colleagues across the aisle will join me. I have consistently said that Congress should come together to negotiate a bipartisan and compassionate solution to our immigration crisis that provides dignity, strengthens border security, reforms the broken asylum process, and actually disincentivizes illegal immigration."

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is encountering more than 6,000 family units every single week, and in February experienced a 170 percent increase from 2020 in the number of migrants at the border. 

Tenney recently opposed H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act in the House because it would grant mass amnesty to more than two million immigrants, including illegal immigrants who have been removed from the country, violent criminals, and immigrants who currently live in the United States illegally. Despite the claims from Democrats, H.R. 6 was not simply a solution for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) participants. 

Pictures of Tenney's visit with CBP and to the border can be found here.

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