Crenshaw hits GOP colleagues opposed to border deal: ‘The height of stupidity’

Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) slams his Republican colleagues for opposing a Senate deal to combine border and immigration policy changes with aid to Ukraine before the text of the bill was released. did.

“The height of stupidity is to have a strong opinion about something you know nothing about,” Crenshaw said Thursday. “So I don’t have a strong opinion on this bill because I haven’t seen it. Nobody does.”

Crenshaw’s message is a sharp departure from what House Republican leaders, including Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), have said. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said if reports about the deal were true, it would be “dead on arrival” in the House of Commons.

“I’m very disappointed in the very strange maneuvers by many on the right to water down potential border reform legislation. That’s what we all continued to do,” Crenshaw continued. Ta. “If there’s a bill online that would drastically reduce illegal immigration, and you block that, that contradicts what we told voters we would do.”

“That’s a pretty unacceptable dereliction of duty,” Crenshaw said.

One point of contention between Republican critics and supporters of the deal is over new executive emergency border closure powers that would be triggered after 5,000 border crossings per day. Mr Johnson said this week that powers should be used with zero passages per day.

Some conservatives say the provision could greenlight 5,000 illegal crossings a day, but Sen. James Lankford, one of the Republican negotiators on the deal, (Oklahoma) said it was “misinformation.”

Disputes over reported details may be resolved quickly. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said late Thursday that a Senate border deal would be announced by Sunday.

Crenshaw also brought up the argument that some Republicans oppose the bill for other political reasons.

“There are people in the Senate and in the House who are desperately trying to block it for other reasons. Maybe they think securing the border will help. [President] Biden politically. Of course it will, but we want to secure our borders. That’s what I told voters I was going to do,” Crenshaw said.

Another key figure looming over border talks is former President Trump, who called on Republicans, and Johnson in particular, to “get only the perfect deal on the border,” saying “we have everything we need to stop an invasion.” We will veto any Senate agreement unless we get one.” Millions and millions of people. ”

But when asked about Trump, Crenshaw told a CNN reporter: “Let’s not create any drama here.”

“Please stop the incitement against border security,” Crenshaw said. “If the bill is terrible, then the bill is terrible. But I don’t know if this bill is terrible.”