As House Speaker Mike Johnson was about to arrive at the southern border on Tuesday, the Biden administration announced they were reopening southern border crossings this week.
While nearly a quarter of a million of illegal crossings were recorded by U.S. agents at the southern border in December, reportedly the highest monthly total ever recorded, the Biden administration closed border crossing in Texas, Arizona and California, The Washington Post reported. But now Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has revealed crossings in Eagle Pass, Texas; San Ysidro, California; Nogales, Arizona; and Lukeville, Arizona will be reopened.
“CBP will continue to prioritize our border security mission as necessary in response to this evolving situation,” CBP stated on Tuesday. “We continue to assess security situations, adjust our operational plans, and deploy resources to maximize enforcement efforts against those noncitizens who do not use lawful pathways or processes.”
Biden has asked for $13.6 billion to fund “border enforcement and migration management.” According to White House Communications Director Ben LaBolt, that funding would include hiring more judges and asylum staffers “to expedite the screening process.”
47 Texas counties have declared an “invasion” from across the border. They include Atascosa, Burnet, Chambers, Clay, Collin, Crockett, Ector, Edwards, Ellis, Fannin, Franklin, Frio, Goliad, Hamilton, Hardin, Harrison, Hood, Hunt, Jack, Jasper, Johnson, Karnes, Kinney, La Salle, Lavaca, Leon, Liberty, Live Oak, Madison, McMullen, Medina, Montague, Navarro, Orange, Parker, Presidio, Shackelford, Somervell, Terrell, Throckmorton, Tyler, Van Zandt, Waller, Wharton, Wichita, Wilson, and Wise counties.
“Congress can stop this invasion right now with the power of the purse,” Kinney County Attorney Brent Smith said. “Our government is funding this invasion with our tax dollars. It needs to stop. We don’t know who is coming in. It only took 19 people to change the world as we know it on 9/11. That’s a fraction of the thousands coming through an hour and we don’t know who they are..”
“Congress has the constitutional authority, and most importantly, the responsibility to ensure that federal funding promotes and protects the safety and security of American citizens. Our homeland is more vulnerable today to a terrorist attack because of the ongoing border crisis. And this is preventable,” he added.