WASHINGTON, D.C. (WWNY) – North country congresswoman Elise Stefanik was one of nine Republican members of congress to travel to the border with Mexico Monday.
While there, Stefanik criticized the Biden administration’s plan to end “Title 42,” an order imposed by the administration of former President Trump which made it easier for authorities to swiftly expel migrants at the border.
Trump administration officials said the order was aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19.
Monday, Stefanik did not mention COVID, but said the Biden administration has already “incentivized millions of illegal immigrants to cross our border, led to hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants being released into our communities, and increased the flow of deadly fentanyl and dangerous criminals flooding into the United States over our southern border.
“Now, the Biden Administration’s proposal to end Title 42 will significantly worsen this crisis, burden border patrol even more, and make communities across the country less safe.”
Stefanik was joined by Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy and Representatives Tony Gonzales (TX-23), Randy Weber (TX-14), Michael Guest (MS-03), Chip Roy (TX-21), Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA-14), Diana Harshbarger (TN-01), and Blake Moore (UT-01).
Stefanik and the others toured the Eagle Pass, Texas border station “and heard directly from border patrol officers and members of the community on the horrific impact of Joe Biden and House Democrats’ open border policies,” according to a press release from her office.
Stefanik’s trip to the border comes at a time when Republicans are increasingly using the southern border as a backdrop for campaigning. Politically, it’s a smart move – President Biden’s handling of immigration matters is deeply unpopular among Republicans, and even problematic for some Democrats.
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