HYDE-SMITH HEADED TO SOUTHERN BORDER TO EVALUATE GROWING CRISIS
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) is part of a Senate delegation headed to the southern border today to evaluate the surging crisis arising from the Biden administration policy changes to immigration and border security.
Hyde-Smith is among 19 Republicans, led by Texas Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, who will travel to the McAllen, Texas, region for briefings and tours Thursday and Friday.
“We’re headed to the border to better understand the scope of the problems facing federal agents and communities dealing with what is clearly a crisis on the border,” Hyde-Smith said.
Hyde-Smith serves on the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee that has jurisdiction over the federal agencies dealing with enforcing U.S. immigration and border security laws. She also serves on the subcommittee that funds the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the agency responsible for handling unaccompanied minors who cross the border.
The apprehension of single adults rose by 175 percent compared to February 2020, while unaccompanied Alien Children/Single Minors rose by 171 percent. The apprehension of family unit aliens also rose 170 percent.
Democrats on Wednesday blocked consideration of a resolution cosponsored by Hyde-Smith that would have put the Senate on record as recognizing the growing swell of illegal immigrants on the U.S. southern border constitutes a “crisis.” Introduced by Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), S.Res.312 reads, “Expressing the sense of the Senate that the current influx of migrants is causing a crisis at the Southern border. Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that the current influx of migrants at the Southern land border of the United States constitutes a crisis.”
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VIDEO UPDATE 26 March 2021: U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) today addressed the media following a visit to the U.S.-Mexico border at McAllen, Texas. The Senate delegation on Friday visited an overcrowded Donna Temporary Processing Facility, the inspections and arrival situations at the Pharr International Bridge, an outdoor temporary processing site, and took part in a public safety riverine tour on the Rio Grande. After arriving in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas on Thursday night, Border Patrol agents hosted the Senate delegation on a night operation tour of the border.
The entire news conference is available here.