Speaker Mike Johnson, accompanied by 60 Republicans, is poised to host the inaugural major event at the southern border facility in Eagle Pass. This follows a significant influx of several thousand migrants crossing the Rio Grande and converging at a facility near Eagle Pass. The issue of illegal immigration and border security emerges as a crucial concern for Republicans in 2024, one they are unwilling to compromise on during budget negotiations in Congress. Last Thursday, Speaker Johnson has sent a letter to President Biden urging him to take action.
“You have clearly undermined America’s sovereignty and security by ending the Remain in Mexico policy, reinstating catch-and-release, suspending asylum cooperative agreements with other nations, ignoring existing restraints on the abuse of parole, and halting border wall construction,” wrote Johnson. “You also undermined Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) core mission, and even used a smartphone app to facilitate the release of border crossers into the United States.”
White House spokesperson Andrew Bates issued a statement this morning, criticizing Speaker Johnson and the Republicans.
“After voting in 2023 to eliminate over 2,000 Border Patrol agents and erode our capacity to seize fentanyl, House Republicans left Washington in mid-December even as President Biden and Republicans and Democrats in the Senate remained to forge ahead on a bipartisan agreement. In fact, right now, instead of joining the Biden Administration and members of both parties in the Senate to find common ground, Speaker Johnson is continuing to block President Biden’s proposed funding to hire thousands of new Border Patrol agents, hire more asylum officers and immigration judges, provide local communities hosting migrants additional grant funding, and invest in cutting edge technology that is critical to stopping deadly fentanyl from entering our country,” said Bates.
“Actions speak louder than words,” Bates emphasized. “They are now aiming to make the border a key 2024 election issue.”
Republicans, whose nominee is expected to be former President Trump, are planning to initiate impeachment proceedings against Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas.
