A video has shown migrants crossing the southern border right in front of House Speaker Mike Johnson and other GOP lawmakers.
During a visit by Johnson and 64 other House Republicans to Eagle Pass, Texas—a city along the U.S.-Mexico border—on Wednesday, migrants were filmed and photographed walking through the Rio Grande, headed to the U.S. The migrants were mere feet away from Johnson and his colleagues.
Howard Mortman, C-SPAN communications director, posted a video on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday that showed Johnson shaking his head, before pointing the camera at the migrants crossing the river.
Founder of Punchbowl News, Jake Sherman, on X posted a photo showing people in the water behind camera crews and wrote: “Migrants are trying to cross into the United States literally feet from House Republicans and @SpeakerJohnson.”
Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images
The trip to Eagle Pass comes as Republicans in Congress push for stronger immigration policies as cities across the U.S. try to manage a massive influx of migrants.
In the 2023 fiscal year, which ended in September, U.S. Border Patrol had 3.2 million encounters, according to agency data. Encounter data includes the patrol’s Title 8 Apprehensions, Office of Field Operations Title 8 Inadmissibles, and Title 42 Expulsions. Nearly 400,000 migrants attempted to enter the U.S. through the section of the southwest border that includes Eagle Pass during the last fiscal year.
Johnson said at a press conference during his trip, “Today, we were able to meet with local residents, with sheriffs, with the Texas DPS [Department of Public Safety]. We also toured the CBP [U.S. Customs and Border Protection] processing facility here in Eagle Pass, and it’s been an eye-opener; one thing is absolutely clear. America is at a breaking point, with record levels of illegal immigration. And today, we got a firsthand look at the damage and the chaos the border catastrophe is causing in all our communities. The situation here and across the country is truly unconscionable. We would describe it as both heartbreaking and infuriating.”
The House speaker added: “It is an unmitigated disaster, a catastrophe. And what’s more tragic, is that it’s a disaster of [President Joe Biden’s] own design. About an hour ago, we had lunch and there are a number of sheriffs that work and serve here along the border of Texas. The sheriff of Terrell County was one of them. He was a former Border Patrol agent for 26 years. And he said, in his estimation, it took less than six months for the Biden administration to dismantle 100 years of progress that the U.S. Border Patrol had achieved.”
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email for comment on Wednesday.
In October, Biden requested Congress to approve a $106 billion supplemental funding package, which included $13.6 billion for border protection, along with aid for Ukraine’s war against Russia, Israel’s war with Hamas and other humanitarian assistance.
The money would be used to hire 1,300 more Border Patrol agents, 1,600 additional asylum officers, and 375 new immigration judge teams. Out of the $13.6 billion, over $1.2 billion would be used to combat the smuggling of fentanyl across the border.
The package has been stalled in Congress as Republicans push for different policies in conjunction with funds for border security.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.