Representative Diana Harshbarger (R-TN-01) claimed that the border crisis is far worse than what has been reported. Sunday, Harshbarger visited the RGV sector of the southern border. She relayed that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is flying illegal immigrants further into the country, without COVID-19 tests or legitimate ID and no clarity of who is footing the bill. She also reported that there are an estimated 15,000 “got aways” in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) sector alone – illegal immigrants who were observed breaching the border but not apprehended or turned back.
Seven other members of the House Homeland Security Committee joined Harshbarger – Representatives Carlos Gimenez (R-FL-26), Peter Meijer (R-MI-03), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA-02), Michael Guest (R-MS-03), Andrew Clyde (R-GA-09), John Katko (R-NY-24), and Kat Cammack (R-FL-03).
In her report, Harshbarger also shared that the processing facility she visited was at 420 percent capacity – about 2,600 individuals were stuffed into a facility restricted to 500 persons under COVID-19 capacity. To accommodate the surge, the facility has been reportedly shelling out $50,000 a month in U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) funds.
Further, Harshbarger relayed intel about extensive cartel operations that have expanded with the surge. She said CBP agents called the federal government “the biggest facilitator of human smuggling across the border” due to not enforcing the law. Apparently, cartels are brazen in their efforts. Harshbarger was told of smugglers advertising on public platforms like Facebook and Craigslist.
“This much is clear from what I saw – Biden’s border crisis is clearly a national security, humanitarian and public health crisis, and is worse than what has been reported,” stated Harshbarger. “What I heard most from folks in the field is that we need the laws already on the books to be enforced, such as finishing construction of the border wall, extending Title 42 and reinstating the Trump Administration’s Migrant Protection Protocols.”
The full details of Harshbarger’s visit is available here:
[wonderplugin_pdf src=”https://tennesseestar.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Rep.-Harshbarger-Border-Trip-Recap-4-14-2021.pdf” width=”650″ height=”866px” style=”border:0;”]
– – –
Corinne Murdock is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and the Star News Network. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to [email protected].
