Assessing Republicans’ Claims on Immigration During Border Visit
More than 60 House Republicans traveled to the southern border in Texas on Wednesday, trying to pressure the Biden administration to implement stricter immigration policies as record numbers of migrants enter the United States. They gathered near the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, a town of fewer than 30,000 that has become a popular intersection.
But on Wednesday, only a few migrants were seen crossing the narrow stretch of the river from Piedras Negras, Mexico, and climbing along the banks on the U.S. side. (Illegal crossings along the southern border tend to decrease around the holidays, and fewer people cross the border when a notable event is expected on the U.S. side.)
“One thing is absolutely clear: America is at a breaking point with record levels of illegal immigration,” Speaker Mike Johnson said during a press conference Wednesday afternoon. “And today we saw firsthand the damage and chaos the border disaster is causing across all our communities. The situation here and across the country is truly unconscionable.”
The visit reflects the extent to which immigration has become one of President Biden’s biggest political vulnerabilities, especially as the 2024 presidential election approaches.
The Republicans’ visit to Eagle Pass comes as Congress tries to reach an agreement on a spending package that would provide military aid to Ukraine in exchange for stricter border policies.
On Wednesday, Republicans in the House of Representatives threatened to stop funding the federal government if Biden and Democrats did not “close the border.”
Here is a fact check of some of their statements.
WHAT WAS SAID
“We have deadly drugs flowing into our country at record levels.”
– Mr Johnson
This needs context. It is true that large amounts of fentanyl and other deadly illegal drugs have been flowing into the United States from Mexico. But the majority is trafficked through official ports of entry, rather than on the backs of economic and asylum-seeking migrants like those who came to the country via Eagle Pass.
For exampleIn December, federal officials at the Ysleta port of entry in El Paso discovered 123 pounds of fentanyl and methamphetamine hidden in vehicles coming from Mexico over three days.
WHAT WAS SAID
“Those 312 suspects on the terrorist watch list who have been apprehended – we have no idea how many terrorists have entered the country and set up terrorist cells across the country.”
– Mr Johnson
This needs context. From October 2020 to November 2023, 312 migrants – out of more than 6.2 million – crossing the southern border provided matches with names on the terrorist list. according to government data. But it’s not clear how many of them were actual agreements or whether the FBI considered them a threat to national security.
The watchlist is a huge intelligence database containing more than two million names of known terrorists and suspects. according to a recent CBS News report. The list also includes people associated with them, such as family members, many of whom are not believed to be involved in terrorist activities.
When migrants are arrested after crossing the border illegally, officials conduct background checks, including on the terrorism watch list. When a person is flagged at the border as a possible match with a name on the watch list, the name is passed on to the FBI, and the agency determines whether the person is a match and indeed a threat, or whether agents need more information to confirm whether the person in border custody is the same as the person on the watchlist.
WHAT WAS SAID
“Director Wray recently admitted before my committee – our committee recently – that with the border wide open and a war in Israel, Hamas could just walk in. That’s the director of the FBI. He fears for his own agents. It is clear that this is intentional.”
– Representative Mark E. Green, Republican of Tennessee and chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee
This is misleading. The southern border has not been a popular entry point for terrorists. Since 1975, no one has been killed or injured in a terrorist attack in the United States involving someone crossing the border illegally, said Alex Nowrasteh, the Cato Institute’s vice president for economic and social policy studies, a libertarian. thinktank.
Mr. Green appeared to be referring to a hearing before the House Homeland Security Committee on Nov. 15. At the time, he asked FBI Director Christopher A. Wray about the potential terrorism threat posed by migrants who crossed the southern border but evaded detection. Border agents refer to these migrants as “escapees.” Mr. Green said about two million migrants have crossed without detection since Mr. Biden took office.
In their conversation, Mr. Green asked whether people on the terrorism watch list could be among those who entered the country without being detected: “Can the FBI assure the American people that known or suspected terrorists, including those from Hamas or other terrorist groups, will not be among those escapes?
Mr Wray responded that this was an obvious concern, but there was no real way of knowing. “Well, the group of people you’re talking about is certainly a source of great concern to us,” he added.
Mr. Green pressed further, asking: “But there’s really no way you can guarantee that Hamas isn’t in there?”
Mr Wray reiterated his emphasis on ambiguity. “Well, as you say, there’s the unknown and the known unknown,” he said. “But what I can tell you is that our 56 joint terrorism task forces are doing their utmost to ensure that they track and identify potential terrorist suspects, whether they are on the watchlist or not.”
Aishvarya Kavi reporting contributed.