Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) pleaded with Vice President Kamala Harris to visit the U.S.-Mexico border as former President Donald Trump is set to draw significant attention to the region when he visits it in a couple of weeks.
“I write to invite you to the U.S. Southern Border to observe the ongoing humanitarian crisis and share the perspective of Americans who live there. I encourage you to join me and other Members of Congress, while we visit with the people on the ground who deal with these issues every day,” Cuellar, who represents Texas’ 28th Congressional District, which shares 300 miles of border with Mexico, wrote in the letter to Harris. “Leaders of our local border communities, including our mayors, police chiefs, sheriffs, emergency personnel, landowners, and judges understand the dynamics fueling the immigration crisis.”
The letter comes as Trump announced in a statement on Tuesday evening that he would be visiting the border at the end of the month.
Cuellar’s letter continued:
I have lived here my entire life and want to offer myself as a resource in solving these problems. I believe it is critical that you meet with local stakeholders and residents, consider their concerns, and use their lived experiences to implement more effective policies.
The rapid rise in the number of migrants arriving at our Southern Border has placed severe burdens on our communities. As the U.S. emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, South Texans continue to struggle economically, due to outdated commercial travel restrictions. The situation on the border will only worsen, as more migrants are expected to arrive. The Administration needs to take a proactive approach to create a sustainable system of humanitarian aid and relieve everyday Americans of that responsibility.
Thank you for the consideration of this request. I look forward to hosting you and working together in finding solutions to solve this border crisis.
Trump’s visit to the border at the end of the month comes as Democrat President Joe Biden’s border crisis has continued to worsen as more illegal aliens were apprehended at the southern border last month than at any other point in the history of the Department of Homeland Security, which was created in 2002.
“I have accepted the invitation of Texas Governor Greg Abbott to join him on an official visit to our Nation’s decimated Southern Border on Wednesday, June 30, 2021,” Trump said in a statement. “The Biden Administration inherited from me the strongest, safest, and most secure border in U.S. history and in mere weeks they turned it into the single worst border crisis in U.S. history. It’s an unmitigated disaster zone.”
“If this weren’t bad enough, Biden and Harris won’t even tour the scenes of the wreckage they created, or come down and visit with the Border Patrol and ICE heroes risking their lives to defend our Nation at a time when the White House is doing everything it can to make their job totally impossible,” Trump added. “What Biden and Harris have done, and are continuing to do on our border, is a grave and willful dereliction of duty. My visit will hopefully shine a spotlight on these crimes against our Nation—and show the incredible people of ICE and Border Patrol that they have our unshakeable support.”