House Democrat Leader Hakeem Jeffries urges his colleagues to take a "field trip" down to the southern border to see firsthand the destruction President Joe Biden's open border policies have created.
On Friday, Jeffries joined Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) in his border district to discuss the humanitarian crisis and the fentanyl epidemic that has surged since Biden took office.
"I'm going to continue to encourage my colleagues in Washington as part of trying to arrive at a comprehensive solution to take a field trip, come down to the border communities to speak to the people who experience life at the border," Jeffries said.
Following the first leg of his multi-day tour of the U.S.-Mexico border, the Democrat called for immigration reform to secure the border.
"We do need comprehensive immigration reform that is both humane but also respects the rule of law and the traditions of public safety and the importance of that for border communities," Jeffries continued.
Jeffries said that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers need more technology to inspect better people and cars that travel through land, sea, and airports.
"It was very enlightening to see the importance of how that technology is being deployed to try and secure the border to try to make sure that contraband is interdicted in an appropriate way and to supplement the limitations of manpower resources," Jeffries said, adding "almost all of the stakeholders within the law enforcement community, the federal level, all over at the city and the county level have made clear that it's that technology that's been helpful."
Jeffries' visit comes as the U.S. still tries to grip the massive migrant crisis Biden has endorsed for the third year.
In January, there were over 156,000 illegal migrant encounters at the border, the highest number that month has seen. However, January's encounters don't come close to the record 251,000 encounters December saw.
Earlier this week, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif) visited the southern border, where he was outraged at the mess he found at the edge.
"Gaps in the wall. Abandoned tech. The Biden Administration stopped our border security progress in its tracks," McCarthy tweeted, alongside a video with the caption: "why is President Biden denying law enforcement and property owners the use of every possible tool at their disposal to secure the border and end the crisis?"
Gaps in the wall. Abandoned tech. The Biden Administration stopped our border security progress in its tracks.
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) February 16, 2023
Why is the President Biden denying law enforcement and property owners the use of every possible tool at their disposal to secure the border and end the crisis? pic.twitter.com/MyKwM3LzYz