A top House Republican is pleading with lawmakers to stay in Washington this weekend and draft legislation that would give the Department of Homeland Security additional funding to deal with the soaring number of migrants who continue arriving at the southern border.
House Homeland Security Ranking Member Mike Rogers, R-Ala., asked all 435 House members to stick around through the weekend to address what the Trump administration has described as a “border crisis.”
“Without congressional action, the situation on the ground poses a serious threat to human life and national security. I call on my colleagues to work over the weekend to address the true emergency at our border. We need to act now, before it is too late,” Rogers said in a statement.
However, Democrats on the committee balked at Rogers request.
Kirstjen Nielsen, Homeland Security secretary, sent Congress a letter Thursday asking for more money to fund temporary family housing facilities; additional food, medical, and shelter contracts; and permission to relocate personnel from less affected regions.
House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said the White House’s immigration policies “deserve much of the blame” for a significant increase of illegal immigration and asylum requests during that time.
Earlier Friday, Jeh Johnson, Homeland Security secretary during former President Barack Obama’s second term, declared the southern border was in a “crisis” state, a claim the Trump administration first made late last year.
“We are truly in a crisis,” Johnson told MSNBC “Morning Joe” host Mika Brzezinski.
“On Tuesday, there were 4,000 apprehensions. I know that 1,000 [apprehensions] overwhelms the system, and I cannot begin to imagine what 4,000 a day looks like,” Johnson said.
A spokesperson for Rogers said the congressman “wholeheartedly agrees” with Nielsen’s assessment in her letter and is focused on a legislative solution, though no details were shared.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan said Wednesday the agency is on track to take 100,000 people into custody at the U.S.-Mexico border in March. More than one-third of that number is expected to be children.
