Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, called on President Joe Biden to “just show up” at the U.S.-Mexico border, noting that once Title 42 is repealed, the flow of immigrants will be “overwhelming.”
In an interview on “CNN This Morning” on Wednesday, the representative criticized the Biden administration’s lack of understanding of the current crisis at the border, saying that he does not believe that the White House understands the situation.
He admitted that he was “not aware” that Biden and his officials were “continuing to flee the border.”
FOX NEWS CAMERAS SHOW US MASSIVE MIGRANT ARRIVAL, 500,000 for FY23.
Rep. Cuellar appears on “CNN This Morning” and urges Biden to “just show up” at the border.
(Screenshot/CNN)
The debate between Cuellar and CNN anchor Caitlin Collins began with a question about how devastating the flow of migrants would be to border communities if Biden were to repeal the Trump-era Title 42 provision.
The congressman responded bluntly, saying, “Communities are going to be overwhelmed, not just in El Paso. We’ve seen it in the past in the Rio Grande Valley, Eagle Pass, and Del Rio. They’re going. They’re taking in large numbers of people. There aren’t enough asylum and border processing centers to do that.”
Cuellar called for compassionate treatment of migrants, but was adamant that “we have to protect the border.” He said, “We can do two things at the same time. We can be compassionate to immigrants trying to come in. But at the same time, we have to protect the border.”
He added, “Because the only thing border control does is process a lot of them to come into the U.S. and then turn some of them back under Title 42. If Title 42 goes away, that’s going to open up a lot of people at the border. come to teams.”
AN ILLEGAL MIGRANT CARAVAN OF OVER 1,000 ENTERS EL PASO, TEXAS
FILE – Haitian families illegally cross the Rio Bravo River to surrender to U.S. authorities at the border between Ciudad Juarez and El Paso, Mexico, Dec. 23, 2021, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. (Photo by Christian Torres/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Collins then asked if “the Biden administration understands this sense of urgency,” to which Cuellar said he doesn’t think so.
He said, “You know, I don’t think they do, or if they do, they have a very different perspective.”
Cuellar urged the president to listen to people who understand the concerns of local communities, not “immigration activists.” He said, “Look, it’s good to listen to immigration activists. It can be done. That’s one perspective. But who’s listening to the men and women in green and blue, and most importantly, who’s listening to our border communities?”
Later in the interview, Collins asked if it would help if Biden visited the southern border, and Cuellar said, “Yes, absolutely.”
A Border Patrol agent walks between a gap along the U.S.-Mexico border wall on June 1, 2022 in Yuma, Arizona. – In May, US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas authorized US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). As asylum seekers cross the border and Title 42 immigration restrictions continue, DHS funds are available to close gaps at the Yuma Sector border fence, DHS also told Congress in a statement. calls for the cancellation of the remaining funds for the construction of the siq system. Funding for “Smart Border Security” activities.
(AFP via Patrick T. FALLON/Getty Images)
He continued, “I don’t know why they avoid the border and say there’s something more important than visiting the border. If there’s a crisis, see. Just see!”
The MP added: “Just being at the border sends a strong signal to the communities that he’s there, that he cares about the communities on the border. Just show up. It doesn’t take much to just show up at the border.”