A Democratic mayor of a border town is calling out President Biden for ignoring the crisis at the border plaguing his town.
“You have a breach on national security levels that have never before been seen in modern history, and you’re not even batting an eye about it. You’re not even calling it a ‘crisis.’ You’re calling it a quote unquote challenge,” said Del Rio, Texas, Mayor Bruno Lozano. “It’s a slap in the face.”
As his town of about 35,000 was dealing with the fallout from a historic winter storm that left millions without power, Lozano said he sent Biden a video message asking the president not to send migrants to his resource-strapped city.
“Mr. President, my name is Bruno Lozano, mayor of the city of Del Rio, Texas, and I am pleading and requesting with you to please put a halt to any measures regarding the release of immigrants awaiting court dates into the city of Del Rio and surrounding areas,” Lozano said in the video while showing footage of long lines in grocery stores with empty shelves.
The mayor pleaded with Biden not to force him to deal with a “federal issue” during such “dire circumstances” for his city.
“We do not have the resources available to house and accommodate these migrants within our community. … If you do send these individuals into our community, we will be forced to make a decision to leave them without resources under these dire circumstances,” Lozano said in the video. “I’m asking to please stop. Please make another plan for this federal issue.”
But Lozano said his plea “fell on deaf ears” and has instead faced more immigrants pouring into town daily, which now number about 150 per day.
“I’m not trying to demonize the humanitarian aspect by any means, but my responsibility is to the city of Del Rio and the residents of Del Rio, Texas. My responsibilities are to the American people that got me elected,” Lozano said. “Nobody wants to actually tackle the issue. You’re condoning unlawful behavior, period. There’s a lawful way to enter the United States. There’s a lawful way to seek asylum, and it just undermines the entire immigration process.”
The mayor said he has now been forced to use municipal funds to tackle the issue forced on him by the federal government, something the city isn’t prepared for.
“It’s not even in our budget. Every line item is accounted for in municipal government. We’re very fine-tuned in budget. It’s not appropriate,” Lozano said. “It just blows my mind how disconnected from reality [they are], or maybe they do know, maybe they just don’t want to call a spade a spade, you know, because it’s uncomfortable.”
Lozano said the community has opened up a local respite center, which assists migrants with getting bus or plane tickets out of town while providing them valuable resources. But there aren’t always tickets available, forcing the city to find places for migrants to sleep.
“That’s when the logistical nightmare begins. Where are they going to sleep for the night? That’s the number I worry about each day,” Lozano said, noting that the city has been forced to use a basketball court as a temporary shelter. “Sometimes migrants get released after-hours, and there’s simply nowhere to put them. I can’t use the civic center because I’m using that for COVID vaccines.”
Despite being a Democrat himself, Lozano placed the blame on Biden’s immigration policies for his town’s predicament.
“It is very selective on who they deport now, and, let’s be real, the Biden administration sent that message that, you know, ‘We’re going to reverse this. We’re going to do that.’ And, sure enough, within days, within days, it started happening again,” Lozano said.
Lozano said the outcome of the policies is “completely predictable,” yet when he talks to senators about the issue, he said, “They’re shocked.”
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“You have this policy where unlawful entry is being condoned. Criminal activity is being condoned. These migrants are using the cartels to traverse Mexico, and that’s a fact. And organized criminal activity is rising because of that,” Lozano said. “I’m calling them out. I’m so frustrated as a border-town mayor about all of this.”
