‘Our border situation is gravely impacting legal trade,’ says Rep. Henry Cuellar.
After the continued migrant crisis forced US officials to suspend railway operations between Texas and Mexico in two locations, a House Democrat in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) is splitting with the caucus to demand for “tougher” border security measures.
The statement by Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, whose district includes Laredo, contrasts sharply with the CHC’s stance on the current border talks between Republicans and the White House.
Cuellar stated that rail operations in Eagle Pass and El Paso were halted on Monday morning so that Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) could “redirect personnel to process migrants.”
“The crisis at our border is seriously affecting legitimate trade,” Cuellar had written the night before. “This year alone, vehicle and rail operations have been suspended at multiple ports of entry due to an overwhelming number of migrants, worsening delays for truck drivers transporting goods and costing our economy millions.”
“Our border communities desperately need more federal resources, and we need tougher border measures,” he said. We must safeguard the border immediately.”
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In a statement issued late Sunday night announcing the planned closures for Monday at 8 a.m. local time, CBP accused traffickers of utilizing freight trains to transport individuals into the country illegally.
“CBP is continuing to surge all available resources to safely process migrants in response to increased levels of migrant encounters at the Southwest Border, fueled by smugglers peddling disinformation to prey on vulnerable individuals,” the agency said in a statement.
“After observing a recent resurgence of smuggling organizations moving migrants through Mexico via freight trains, CBP is taking additional actions to surge personnel and address this concerning development, including in partnership with Mexican authorities.”
It comes amid heated debate in both the White House and the Senate over President Biden’s $110 billion supplementary aid proposal for Israel, Ukraine, and other causes.
Republicans have stated unequivocally that they will not consider Biden’s request unless it is coupled to tighter border security and asylum policies.
The all-Democrat Congressional Hispanic Caucus issued a letter last week encouraging Biden to be cautious in his commitments to manage the border problem.
“We are deeply concerned that the President would consider advancing Trump-era immigration policies that Democrats fought so hard against – and that he himself campaigned against – in exchange for aid to our allies that Republicans already support,” the group said. “Caving to demands for these permanent damaging policy changes as a ‘price to be paid’ for an unrelated one-time spending package would send a dangerous precedent.”
