(RepublicanNews.org) – A recent video showing a small caravan of immigrants crossing the border in front of the Speaker of the House went viral on social media this month, marking another sign of the times as the crisis on the southern border continues to worsen under President Joe Biden’s watch.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson kicked off 2024 with a visit to the U.S.-Mexico border. On Wednesday, January 3rd, a small group of immigrants were photographed and recorded on video walking through the waters of the Rio Grande River toward the U.S. border. Just feet away from them stood Johnson and some of his colleagues from the House of Representatives. Along with 62 other GOP lawmakers, Johnson visited the border town of Eagle Pass, Texas, which has experienced a dramatic surge in illegal immigrant encounters over the last few years of the Biden administration.
During the visit, a video was captured by C-SPAN communications director Howard Mortman and posted on social media. The 30-second video shows the House Speaker surrounded by lawmakers peering through razor wire. He then shakes his head as the camera pans to a group of immigrants in the Rio Grande trudging through the water while carrying luggage. Jake Sherman of Punchbowl News also captured a photo of the scene showing a handful of immigrants in the river.
At a press conference, Johnson said he and his fellow lawmakers met with law enforcement, border personnel, and local residents during the trip and also toured a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facility in the border town. Johnson said the facility visit was “an eye-opener,” one which makes it “absolutely clear” that the country “is at a breaking point” from the situation, which he described as “unconscionable,” “heartbreaking,” and “infuriating.”
Johnson also criticized Biden and his administration, accusing them of dismantling “100 years of progress” achieved by the U.S. Border Patrol.
The Eagle Pass visit comes on the heels of the ongoing push from GOP members of Congress to enact stronger border and immigration policies as cities across the country struggle to deal with the influx of new arrivals, putting a strain on resources. A total of 3.2 million immigrant encounters took place throughout Fiscal Year 2023, 400,000 of which tried to cross into the U.S. through the sector that includes Eagle Pass.
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