Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX) sent a new letter to Vice President Kamala Harris inviting her to the southern border to "observe the ongoing humanitarian crisis and share the perspective of Americans who live there."
Cuellar has been one of the few national-level Democrats who have been bringing attention to the border crisis, which has seen historic highs of illegal immigrants and drug seizures. Many local leaders, sheriffs, and ranchers who live by the border have said either President Joe Biden or Harris should visit to see the crisis firsthand.
"The rapid rise in the number of migrants arriving at our Southern Border has placed severe burdens on our communities. As the U.S. emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, South Texans continue to struggle economically, due to outdated commercial travel restrictions," Cuellar said.
"The situation on the border will only worsen, as more migrants are expected to arrive. The Administration needs to take a proactive approach to create a sustainable system of humanitarian aid and relieve everyday Americans of that responsibility," he added.
NEW: Texas U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar (D-TX 28th District)has sent V.P. Kamala Harris this letter urging her to visit the border and meet with people on the ground here to see the impacts of the border surge, as he says the situation is only going to get worse. @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/T4ip7zeUMc
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) June 16, 2021
Harris has been heavily criticized for not visiting the border after Biden put her in charge of solving the immigration issue, which she says she is focused on the "root causes" of migration. Former President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday he will be visiting the border on June 30.
"The Biden Administration inherited from me the strongest, safest, and most secure border in U.S history and in mere weeks they turned it into the single worst border crisis in U.S history. It’s an unmitigated disaster zone," Trump said in the announcement.
"We went from detain-and-remove to catch-and-release. We went from having border security that was the envy of the world to a lawless border that is now pitied around the world. Biden and Harris have handed control of our border over to cartels, criminals, and coyotes. Drug dealers, MS-13 gang members, human smugglers, sex traffickers, and the criminal elements of the world now have free reign," he said.