Senator Marsha Blackburn and Colleagues Witness Groups of Migrants Illegally Crossing into the U.S. During Southern Border Tour

Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) visited the border this week with her colleagues, Senators Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) and Katie Britt (R-AK), to examine the “disastrous effects of Biden’s border crisis firsthand” by meeting with law enforcement and human trafficking victims.

The group’s visit came on the heels of President Joe Biden’s visit to El Paso, Texas, earlier this week to assess the immigration situation.

Unlike President Joe Biden, @SenHydeSmith, @SenKatieBritt and I are in Eagle Pass, Texas, where the real border crisis is occurring.

We will receive an unsanitized, firsthand view of the damage from President Biden’s open border policies.

— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) January 10, 2023

The senators arrived at the Del Rio Sector of the U.S.-Mexico border on Monday evening. They met with leadership from the National Border Patrol Union and officials from the Texas Department of Public Safety for an operational briefing.

Thank you to @BPUnion, @TxDPS, and @TXMilitary for working tirelessly to keep our country safe — despite Biden’s open border agenda.

In the last three months alone, over 140 convicted criminals were caught in the Del Rio Sector alone. pic.twitter.com/k1wqMCbZ4h

— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) January 10, 2023

Following the briefing, Blackburn and her colleagues then visited the banks of the Rio Grande river to witness Border Patrol agents encounter migrants entering the U.S. illegally by crossing the river.

In a social media video, Senators Blackburn and Britt reported that the river bank they were located at was full of clothing and personal items from the migrants who cross the river and then claim asylum.

I’m on the banks of the Rio Grande river with @SenKatieBritt where Border Patrol agents are encountering illegal immigrants and bodies on a daily basis. This is a humanitarian and national security crisis. pic.twitter.com/9s7nvOFDqL

— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) January 10, 2023

Tuesday morning, Blackburn revealed that 1,000 illegal immigrants were arrested overnight in the Del Rio Sector alone, adding, “Border Patrol agents are overwhelmed, and they need the Biden administration to enforce the laws on the books.”

1,000 illegal immigrants were arrested last night in the Del Rio Sector alone.

Border Patrol agents are overwhelmed, and they need the Biden administration to enforce the laws on the books. pic.twitter.com/Rj5ylhwRCt

— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) January 10, 2023

The group then traveled to Eagle Pass, Texas, where they witnessed “dozens of illegal immigrants cross the Rio Grande into the United States,” calling it “a direct result of the Biden Administration’s policies.”

In Eagle Pass, we witnessed groups of illegal aliens flood across the southern border.

This is a direct result of the Biden Administration’s policies. pic.twitter.com/2LPDHBMxyL

— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) January 11, 2023

The senators also sat down with a human trafficking survivor and former Mexican Congresswoman, Rosa María de la Garza, to discuss how the cartels are operating across the border in Mexico, as well as the work Garza is doing to help victims of human and sex trafficking.

.@SenKatieBritt, @SenHydeSmith and I just sat down with a human trafficking survivor and heard the heartbreaking story of how she was abused and raped.

— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) January 10, 2023

In a joint statement, the Senate delegation called their visit to the border “an unsanitized, firsthand view of the damage from President Biden’s open border policies.”

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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.