House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Saturday to urge a meeting between the two in order to discuss the ongoing crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border and to push an end to the amnesty proposal Democrats in Congress are pursuing.
McCarthy reminded Biden he had sent a letter to the White House in March when the crisis was beginning. At the time, Border Patrol and the Department of Health and Human Services were starting to be verwhelmed with illegal immigrants who turned themselves over to law enforcement. McCarthy also raised concern over the number of illegal immigrants who were suspects on terror watchlists.
"These statistics are alarming. CBP has arrested over 1.4 million individuals illegally crossing the border since you took office, and the total number of encounters this fiscal year is at an all-time high," McCarthy wrote. "There is no question there is an unprecedented crisis, which I am determined to work with your administration to solve."
"I am opposed to any mass amnesty provisions as part of the reconciliation bill currently being debated among members of your party. By passing amnesty and other federal benefits for illegal immigrants into law, you will be incentivizing even larger numbers of illegal migration," he added.
I just sent an urgent letter to President Biden warning against Democrats’ plans to include mass amnesty in their socialist spending bill.
— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) October 23, 2021
Biden’s amnesty would only make the already unprecedented border crisis worse – putting American families at risk. pic.twitter.com/3dFV7QUhw2
During a roundtable on the border crisis last week in the Capitol building, National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd said agents on the border have seen a noticeable increase in illegal entries whenever Congress debates amnesty for illegal immigration.
Brandon Judd, President of the National Border Patrol Council:
— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) October 21, 2021
"I can attest to the fact that anytime there is a perceived reward for violating our immigration laws, the number of illegal border crossers increases exponentially." pic.twitter.com/w7k1KEKaN8
McCarthy promised if the GOP takes back the House in the 2022 midterms, it will be a "top priority" to address the border crisis with the power that comes from being in the majority.