Republican lawmakers revealed on Wednesday their 10-point plan to address the situation at the southern border of the United States while urging President Joe Biden's administration to take action and reverse policies they claimed were causing the surge of migrants.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, joined by eight other Republican governors, said that Biden was the reason that the humanitarian crisis and chaos started on the border. He argued that all Americans watched the situation in Del Rio, Texas, unfold last month. Abbott claimed that the disaster would continue unless the Democratic president acted appropriately.
Crisis at Southern Border
Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts said that Biden had to take action and not ignore the humanitarian and national security crisis at the border. The Democratic president's administration has observed a massive influx of migrants at the southern border this year. Authorities reported more than 200,000 migrants were arriving at the border in July and August.
Biden's administration has continuously argued that poverty, corruption, and violence in Central America were responsible for the surge of migrants. The Democrat also claimed that former President Donald Trump's administration's ending of legal asylum pathways also played a factor in the recent crisis, Fox News reported.
The Republican officials who got together unveiled a 10-point plan to reinstate many of former President Trump's immigration and border strategies. The lawmakers argued the policies would "restore security and end the crisis" at the southern border.
Read Also: Former VP Mike Pence Faces Backlash For Calling Jan. 6 Capitol Riots 'Just One Day In January'
One of the primary demands of the Republican group is for the Biden administration to continue implementing Title 42 expulsion, which allows authorities to force border-crossers to return to Mexico or their country of origin rather than be placed in custody. The Democratic leadership committed to ending the use of the policy as the coronavirus situation in the United States slowly improved.
But the majority of migrant families entering the border are not being expelled despite the policy still in effect. The situation came amid a time when 20% of migrants tested positive for the coronavirus after being released from custody, Yahoo News reported.
Transparency Regarding the Situation
The chaos comes as House and Senate GOP members urge the Biden administration to be transparent regarding the crisis at the southern border. They have called out the Democratic president to take action and address the "out of control" situation of surging migrants due to suspected cartel members allegedly taunting Texas Army National Guard soldiers.
"It is time to admit that there is a crisis at the southern border and that the men and women of the United States Border Patrol are overwhelmed. It is time for your Administration to take appropriate steps to prevent a recurrence of what we witnessed in Del Rio, Texas. We demand transparency from your Administration on behalf of the American people," the letter that Republican lawmakers sent to Biden read, the New York Post reported.
Officials also said that minority Members of the Committee on Homeland Security were willing to work together with the federal government to address the security issues. However, they argued that Biden's administration needed to be more transparent and open about the crisis.
Related Article: Former Trump Aide Dan Scavino Avoids House Select Committees Subpoena in Investigation of Capitol Riot
