Staff Reports
The Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee traveled to Yuma, Arizona on Thursday for the first official congressional hearing regarding the ongoing immigration crisis. Unfortunately, the Democratic members of the committee refused to attend, calling the hearing a “political stunt” and accusing the GOP of not consulting them about the trip. However, Republicans on the committee said they had consulted the Democrats three weeks prior to the hearing.
GOP members on the House Judiciary Committee (@JudiciaryGOP) are touring the border with @BPUnion in the Yuma Sector ahead of tomorrow’s field hearing about the border crisis. pic.twitter.com/5HX9oMABiT
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) February 23, 2023
Border Patrol agents in Yuma expressed their disappointment and frustration that the Democratic members of the committee had not bothered to show up to the hearing. One agent said, “It was expected that Democrats would not show up to the border. I don’t think they want to see what’s going on and the damage they have done. The Democratic Party has not offered real solutions, just unrealistic promises.” Another agent quipped, “Democrats have been a no show at the border for two years. What else is new?”
This will be a fact-finding opportunity that will highlight the clear dereliction of duty on behalf of this administration and Secretary Mayorkas. @HomelandGOP https://t.co/LKZK006k7D
— Rep. Mark Green (@RepMarkGreen) February 22, 2023
Local 2595 President Rafael Rivera, which represents Border Patrol agents in Yuma, said it was “sad” that Democrats did not want to come down and listen to the agents about what they have been facing during the past two years. He noted that while Senators Mark Kelly (D) and Kyrsten Sinema (I) have toured the border in Arizona, no other Democrats have bothered to reach out to him to find out what is going on in Yuma.
Chris Clem, who was the Yuma Sector’s chief patrol agent from 2020 to 2022 before retiring, said it should have been a bipartisan hearing at the border. He noted that in order to solve a border security and immigration crisis, everyone needs to be involved. He also said that border security should be a nonpartisan issue, but immigration is a socioeconomic issue and that’s why it requires all sides of the aisle to address.
It’s unfortunate that Democrats refused to attend this important congressional hearing at the U.S.-Mexico border. It’s clear that they are more interested in playing political games than actually finding real solutions to this crisis. The Democratic Party has failed to offer any real solutions to this issue and instead has chosen to ignore it and pretend it doesn’t exist. This is yet another example of how out of touch and irresponsible the Democratic Party has become when it comes to immigration policy. It’s time for them to stop playing politics and start working together with Republicans to find real solutions to this crisis.
The preceding article is a summary of an article that originally appeared on Townhall
