Representatives Visit U.S. Southern Border
OKLAHOMA CITY – A group of Oklahoma House Republicans this week visited the Rio Grande River in Eagle Pass, Texas, on the border between the United States and Mexico. Reps. Justin Humphrey, R-Lane; David Hardin, R-Stilwell; and Danny Williams, R-Seminole, said they were invited by the sheriff in Eagle Pass who wanted to personally show the reality of what is happening at the nation's southern border. The trio said by about 3:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Monday, U.S. Border Patrol agents reported about 450 illegal crossings into the country just for the one partial day. "We have been told Eagle Pass is now receiving the majority of illegal entries into our country, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection is just overwhelmed," the lawmakers said in a joint statement. "We cannot keep this up. We don't know who all of these people are, if they need legitimate asylum or if they are connected to a drug cartel, or terrorist groups, or child, sex or labor traffickers, or what. This represents a terrible public safety crisis, and even economically, we cannot support all of these people in a humanitarian manner. It has been reported that Oklahoma spends a little more than $780 million every year to support those who illegally enter our country. Our current presidential administration is failing to protect our borders, leaving the states to take this matter into our own hands. We are here to discuss how we can assist Texas and protect Oklahomans."