Steel, Issa Tour Southern Border to View Humanitarian, National Security Crisis

Statement

On Tuesday, Rep. Michelle Steel (R-CA) joined Rep. Darrel Issa (R-CA) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents at the southern border near San Diego to view the ongoing humanitarian and national security crisis that has seen the record-setting influx of migrants over the last 18 months. The tour was led by border patrol agents serving as officers of the National Border Patrol Council. The tour took place on the same day the Biden Administration terminated the Remain in Mexico Policy, which required illegal immigrants awaiting asylum claims in the U.S. to stay in Mexico until their cases are adjudicated. The policy was designed to decrease the incentive for illegal crossings and significantly alleviated the strain on already overwhelmed border patrol agents under the vast and ongoing influx of migrants.

"The reality at our southern border is a shocking and deeply troubling humanitarian and national security crisis," said Rep. Steel. "Not only are sections of our border wide open to anyone who wants to cross - whether they are legitimate asylum seekers, violent drug cartels, human traffickers, or terrorists - but our border patrol faces a devastating lack of support from Washington, D.C. From halting construction of the border wall to terminating Title 42 and Remain in Mexico, this Administration's policies have directly contributed to the suffering occurring on our southern border. The President must immediately restore operational control, commit to providing our CBP agents with the resources they need to do their jobs, and complete the process of physically securing our border."

3.1 million illegal immigrants have been apprehended at the southern border since the Biden Administration took office. June of 2022 was the worst month for border encounters on record, with 207,416 migrant encounters, including 6 individuals on the terrorist watchlist.

Source