House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Friday asking to meet in person with him about the ongoing crisis at the southwest border.
In the letter, McCarthy pointed to the dramatic increase in illegal foot traffic into the United States by both adults and unaccompanied minors.
I just wrote to President Biden to request a meeting regarding the crisis developing on our southern border.
— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) March 5, 2021
We must acknowledge the crisis, develop a plan, and in no uncertain terms, strongly discourage people from making the dangerous journey to cross illegally. pic.twitter.com/VsSGXdAOxw
"This represents a marked increase from what were the highest yearly totals of UAC apprehensions by the U.S. Border Patrol in recent history (68,541 and 76,020 in 2014 and 2019, respectively, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data). While the administration has yet to release the border crossing data for February of this year, January’s data shows a nearly 113% increase in UAC apprehensions when compared to January 2020. Total apprehensions in January show a 157% increase compared to January 2020," McCarthy wrote.
McCarthy went on to say Biden administration has done little to appropriately address the problem, including Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas not calling it a crisis, instead labeling it as a "challenge."
"In the face of all of this, I feel compelled to express great concern with the manner in which your administration is approaching this crisis, but with hope that we can work together to solve it. Just this week, the Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas had a message for those who may seek to cross our border illegally: 'we are not saying don’t come, we are saying don’t come now.' To be clear: there is never a 'right time' to violate the laws of the United States," McCarthy wrote. "Signaling otherwise is reckless and will make the situation worse."
DHS warned the Biden administration they are projecting 117,000 children will arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border without a parent or guardian in 2021, according to Axios. To help with the influx, 20,000 beds in detention facilities will be needed.
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