U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Southern Brooklyn, Staten Island) is calling for a fair catch now that local Democrats punted the political football on the immigration crisis affecting the nation’s southern border.
Malliotakis, a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, will visit the southern border this week to see firsthand the devastating national security, humanitarian, and health crisis caused by an unprecedented surge in migrant border crossings.
Malliotakis is making the trip with 10 Republican Congressmembers from around the country. They will arrive tomorrow, April 8. To meet with Border Patrol Agents and participate in an evening ride-along tour with the National Border Patrol Council.
The trip echos similar partisan trips that House Democrats including U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Yvette Clarke, Nydia Velazquez, Hakeem Jeffries and other federal lawmakers from New York City made to the southern border to decry the former President Trump handling of the immigration crisis. Mayor Bill de Blasio also made the trip with a group of Democratic mayors in 2018
“In my conversations with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials, it’s clear that the Biden Administration, in its dismantling of President Trump’s policies and agreements with Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras that stemmed the flow of illegal migration, have created an unsustainable and dangerous situation at our southern border,” said Malliotakis.
“Heartless, emboldened smugglers and cartels are raking in millions, profiting off the hopes of migrants whose perilous journeys all too often end with sex trafficking, drug trafficking or child abuse. CBP officials have informed us that in just the last few months alone, officers have apprehended hundreds of gang members, thousands of convicted criminals and several suspected terrorists, including most recently two Yemeni men who were on U.S. government watchlists and ‘no-fly’ lists,” the lawmaker added.
On Friday, April 9, members will tour the Donna Migrant Processing Facility, partake in an operational brief, tour the border wall in McAllen, partake in a riverine tour with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), and conclude with a media availability to discuss their visit.
“It is critically important that we know who is entering our country and that the laws in place are followed for everyone’s safety. I’m looking forward to seeing the situation first hand and learning more from our CBP officers who are on the front lines combatting this crisis day and night,” said Malliotakis.
