The Details Are in on How the Feds Are Blowing Your Tax Dollars
Here's the Final Tally on How Much Money Trump Raised for Hurricane Victims
Here's the Latest on That University of Oregon Employee Who Said Trump Supporters...
Watch an Eagles Fan 'Crash' a New York Giants Fan's Event...and the Reaction...
We Almost Had Another Friendly Fire Incident
Not Quite As Crusty As Biden Yet
Legal Group Puts Sanctuary Jurisdictions on Notice Ahead of Trump's Mass Deportation Opera...
The International Criminal Court Pretends to Be About Justice
The Best Christmas Gift of All: Trump Saved The United States of America
Who Can Trust White House Reporters Who Hid Biden's Infirmity?
The Debt This Congress Leaves Behind
How Cops, Politicians and Bureaucrats Tried to Dodge Responsibility in 2024
Meet the Worst of the Worst Biden Just Spared From Execution
Celebrating the Miracle of Light
Chimney Rock Demonstrates Why America Must Stay United
Tipsheet

A Republican and a Democrat Tell Biden and Mayorkas: We Need a Real Border Czar to Handle the Crisis

AP Photo/Gregory Bull

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) sent a letter to President Joe Biden and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas telling them that due to the continuing crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border a special executive position needs to be created to better the government's response.

Advertisement

While Republicans have had no qualms calling out the Biden administration for their disastrous handling of the massive influx of illegal immigrants, Cuellar has been one of only a few Democrats to say the Biden administration is doing a poor job at the border.

"We write to you with a sense of urgency regarding the escalating situation at our southern border. In doing so, we hope to demonstrate that this bicameral concern is neither partisan nor political. To solve the growing problem, we request a special executive appointment for border issues to ensure sufficient federal resources are allocated to overburdened U.S. border communities, and to recommend changes to our immigration policies as we work to regain control of the border," they wrote. "As you know, Department of Homeland Security ('DHS') facilities and personnel are overwhelmed by the growing surge of migrants, many of whom are unaccompanied children. We know this current influx is neither seasonal nor temporary. In June, U.S. Customs and Border Protection ('CBP') recorded 188,829 enforcement encounters at the southwest land border, the highest monthly total in a decade."

Graham and Cuellar said due to how overwhelmed Border Patrol is with illegal immigrants showing up with cases of COVID-19 cases, DHS needs to "create a special executive position vested with the authority to implement federal policies which prioritize the health and safety of U.S. communities at the southern border." 

Advertisement

In their letter, they recommended former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson be the next "border czar" since he "carries an exceptional bipartisan reputation for pragmatic approaches to complex border security and immigration challenges."

Johnson faced an influx of illegal immigrants coming to the U.S. border in 2014 and "coordinated a thoughtful U.S. response to a migration influx event and prioritized certain eligible cases for immediate removal."

Vice President Kamala Harris was appointed by Biden to deal with the "root causes" of illegal immigration, specifically in the Northern Triangle countries of Central America, though Border Patrol has seen a dramatic increase in people from other parts of the world also crossing the southern border during her tenure overseeing the crisis.

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Recommended

Trending on Townhall Videos

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement