The crisis at the southern border continues as Border Patrol says they are 700% over capacity.
Congresswoman Victoria Spartz (IN-05) joined Democrat colleagues this past weekend to visit the El Paso sector of the US-Mexico border. Spartz witnessed the conditions and reality of the central processing center for those illegally crossing into the country.
“We have a humanitarian crisis at that border.”
She tells Tony Katz President Biden needs to focus on the legal immigration system in order to fix the illegal immigration problem. As of now, it’s easier for families to attempt illegal actions than it is to apply for asylum.
“Right now we have the system where legal immigration is so difficult and really has a lot of distortion on what kind of immigration we have. So generally, the easiest way is to risk your life and cross the border illegally -which is really unhealthy.”
She says the only way to apply for asylum is if the family has already crossed illegally, even then border control will not turn away minors.
Spartz in a press release talks about what she describes as a ‘perverse incentive.’
“I talked to a tiny, six-year-old girl devastated by being separated from her eight-year-old brother. These siblings were sent by their parents to cross our border by themselves and there are busloads of children with similar stories arriving every day.”
This morning she told Katz “They shouldn’t be forced to cross the border illegally to apply for asylum.”
In addition to fixing the application process, Spartz says the president needs to assist the border patrol. She describes the border patrolmen as “overwhelmed” and in need of resources from COVID tests to assistance in processing. Spartz says drugs, weapons, and other contraband continue to enter the country as the border patrol can’t do their job because they are too busy taking care of the children.
Congresswoman Spartz plans to return to the southern border in a few weeks with members of the House Judiciary Committee.
Listen to the full interview here:
