(NewsNation) — Congressman Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, urged President Joe Biden to “get out of the way so we can solve this border crisis.”
Gonzales on Monday led a congressional delegation to Eagle Pass, Texas, where law enforcement is experiencing rates of border crossings not seen since before the end of Title 42. About 11,000 people entered Eagle Pass on Sunday alone, Gonzales said.
“America, we are out of time,” he said. “I represent two-thirds of the Texas-Mexico border, and we are no newcomers to this crisis. I have never seen the crisis this bad.”
Gonzales was joined Monday by Republicans Ronny Jackson and Nathaniel Moran — both Texas representatives — and Brandon Williams from New York.
Their visit came days after Gonzales met with Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas about the city’s strained resources. Salinas issued a disaster declaration Wednesday in response to the influx of crossings.
The Republicans also used the opportunity to advocate for a Homeland Security appropriations bill that would provide $2.104 billion to construct a physical wall along the southwest border.
During a news conference at the border, the Republicans took jabs at the Biden administration, calling the president “weak” and criticizing so-called “sanctuary cities.”
“I’m not a coldhearted individual,” Jackson said. “I know we need immigrants to make this country the way it is. It’s what built this country to start with, but we need a legal and orderly process. This isn’t it.”
Some immigration advocates say the legal pathways that exist move slowly and often aren’t worth the risk of remaining in a native country amid the threat of economic or climate disaster or political corruption.
But resources are wearing thin in Eagle Pass, Jackson said, pointing to overcrowded hospitals and processing centers and outmanned border patrol agents.
“This is an absolute national embarrassment,” Jackson said.