HIDALGO, Texas - John Barrasso, the senior U.S. senator for Wyoming, says the southern border with Mexico is secure.
His Senate colleague, John Cornyn, the senior senator from Texas, says he cannot get behind immigration reform until the southern border is secure.
Their different analysis on whether the border is secure came to light at a press conference Republican senators held in Hidalgo, Texas, on Jan. 9.
Barrasso said:
“When President Trump ran and we ran, we said we're going to secure the southern border. As I stand here today, the southern border is secure. Couldn't say that a year and a half ago, when I was here at that time, you had Joe Biden and the Democrats, and from this, the Rio Grande sector, alone, one thousand illegal immigrants were coming into the country every day across the southern part of the United States.
“Ten thousand a day released into our country, members of criminal cartels, drug dealers, terror suspects, all released. And that has all stopped with the election of President Trump and Republicans. And as Paul said, we didn't need new laws. You just needed to have the ability to enforce the laws that are ready on the books.
“And today, the southern border is secure, and the bill that we passed, $170 billion provides them (Border Patrol) with the technology, the infrastructure, meaning the wall, the manpower. All of this is the critical investment that we have made. And it's not just an investment, it's a commitment to keep our border secure, to keep our nation safe.
“We wanted to make sure they have the tools to do the job. They (Border Patrol agents) have them now, and every single Democrat in the United States Senate, in the (US) House, voted against it. They voted to keep the border open, to allow the continued flood of illegal immigrants to continue the flood of drugs that are killing in our communities.
“And that is the difference between the Republicans and the Democrats. And that's the difference between President Trump and Joe Biden. So we're here today, by the wall, you can see it. It's successful. The border is secure, and it's because of the men and women who are here today that we now have a much safer and more secure nation. Thank you.”
The “Paul” Barrasso referenced was Paul Perez, president of the National Border Patrol Council.
In a Q&A with reporters, Sen. Cornyn was asked if he supported proposed legislation from U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz whereby undocumented construction workers would be allowed to apply for a work visa, similar to the H-2A visa program that allows foreign nationals to work in the agriculture sector. De La Cruz made the proposal after meeting with the South Texas Builders Association. The group said their industry has been rocked by ICE raids at building sites.
Cornyn said it was too early to consider such an option.
“The first thing we need to do is secure the border,” Cornyn said during the news conference. “There is no way that the American people, and certainly my constituents in Texas, would allow us to take another stab at reforming our immigration laws until we’ve got the border secure.”
The Texas Tribune reported:
After securing the border, Cornyn said, the next step would be to remove people who “never should have been here in the first place.” Only after that had been accomplished, Cornyn said, should lawmakers delve into changing immigration laws.
Editor's Note: Here is a video recording of the Republican press conference, along with some answers from Majority Leader John Thune in response to questions from reporters:
