Georgia U.S. Rep. Rick Allen (R-GA-12) has outlined what he said were alarming new numbers about how many people are crossing the U.S.-Mexico border into Texas.
Allen made his remarks on the floor of the U.S. House late last week.
“This country is going through crisis after crisis. The Border Patrol apprehended over 200,000 immigrants at our Southern Border last month. August border numbers were alarming and marks a 21-year high. The Biden administration can’t blame this surge on seasonal trends. This number is a 317 percent increase from the same time last year. So what is the Biden administration doing to stop this ongoing border surge? Absolutely nothing,” Allen said.
“In fact, over 43,000 illegal immigrants were released into the U.S. last month. This is a national security crisis. We don’t know who is pouring across our border. Unfortunately, this is a humanitarian crisis to the fullest extent. Just last week we saw tens of thousands of Haitians make their way to Del Rio with reports on the ground describing horrific conditions in their makeshift camp as two women reportedly gave birth, including one who later tested positive for COVID-19. This crisis is one of the worst in history. It is time to finish the wall, end catch and release and secure our border.”
Members of Allen’s staff did not return The Georgia Star News’ request for comment Monday.
Border Patrol agents requested additional federal aid in Del Rio, Texas, months before thousands of migrants set up a temporary camp under an international bridge and overwhelmed immigration officials.
Border officials reported an increase in migrants crossing the Rio Grande River earlier in the summer but didn’t know more than 14,000 migrants would end up setting up camp under the bridge. On June 1, the union representing Del Rio Border Patrol agents asked for additional technology resources to help agents quickly process large groups of migrants in the field before sending them to a station.
– – –
Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Rick Allen” by Congressman Rick Allen. Photo “Mexico-US Border at Tijuana” by Tomascastelazo. CC BY-SA 4.0.
