Five vulnerable Democrats who voted against measures to strengthen border security in the past appear to have changed their stance as they seek re-election to the House.
After President Biden signed a $95 billion aid package last week that includes aid to both Ukraine and Israel, U.S. Reps. Jared Golden of Maine, Marie Grusenkamp Perez of Washington, and Alaska Five Democrats signed the bill: Mary Peltola, Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, and Don Davis of North Carolina. – issued a joint statement agreeing to calls on Congress and the president to “take action and bring order to our southern border.”
“I strongly agree with the National Border Patrol Council that beyond protecting our allies, Congress and the President must act to bring order to our southern border.” the lawmakers said. “That’s why we also voted for HR 3602 on Saturday, and why we all voted last month to give the Border Patrol $19.6 billion to strengthen border enforcement operations.”
Comments from five Democrats – three of them (Golden, Grusenkamp, Davis) are engaged in tough re-election races classified as “crowded” by the Cook Political Report, and the remaining two ( Peltola and Gonzalez) are competing in a race labeled “Lean Democrats,” each of whom emerged after voting no. Border Security Act of 2023.
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Last week, five House Democrats: Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, Marie Grusenkamp Perez of Washington, Mary Peltola of Alaska, Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, and Don Davis of North Carolina. , released a statement echoing the call for Congress and President Biden to “act and act.” Bring order to the southern border. ” (Getty Images)
The House-passed bill expands the types of offenses that disqualify asylum seekers, limits immigration status to those arriving at a port of entry, and calls for the introduction of a system similar to E-Verify. It was mandatory. Established additional penalties for overstaying a visa.
The same five Democrats impeached Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who many Republicans have said is primarily responsible for the migrant crisis at the southern border, in addition to not supporting the Secure Borders Act. He twice voted against Republican-led efforts to do so.
Some Democrats, like Grusenkamp Perez, who was first elected to Congress in 2022 and co-chairs the Blue Dog Coalition with Golden and Peltola, have made negative comments about the border crisis in recent years. ing.
The Washington lawmaker previously faced criticism from Republicans for border-related comments he made during an appearance on “Pod Save America” in March 2023, before Title 42 public health orders ended.
“Listen, no one stays up at night worrying about the southern border,” she said at the time. “That’s not true…People can’t sleep at night because they’re worried their child is going to relapse, or someone is going to drop out of school, or they’re going to lose their home.”
Grusenkamp Perez was among the many Democrats who defended Mayorkas earlier this year amid calls for his impeachment because “he doesn’t set policy, he executes it.” He said it was “upsetting” that Republicans were calling for his removal from office.
Despite past statements, Grusenkamp-Perez has criticized Biden’s handling of the border crisis in recent months, and in April he announced criminal charges against him for certain acts of interfering with U.S. border control measures. He said he voted in favor of HR 3602, which provides for penalties. “President Biden has failed to end the crisis at the southern border.”
“Every nation has an obligation to protect its citizens and secure sovereign borders, and HR 3602 focuses on the urgent need to restore operational control of the southern border. Unlike possible and un-American immigration proposals, this bipartisan bill would not create burdensome government mandates that would harm small businesses, agricultural employers, rural communities, and our nation’s economy. No,” she said at the time.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, members of the congressman’s press team claimed they had “called out the congressman.” [Biden] Throughout its tenure, the administration has continued its mission to resolve the crisis at the southern border and get Congress to pass meaningful border security legislation. ”
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Immigrants attempt to enter the United States illegally by rushing through an opening in the border wall on March 21, 2024. (James Breeden, New York Post/Mega)
The spokesperson also said Washington lawmakers have passed the “Border Defense and Democracy Protection Act to restore operational control at the southern border by restoring expulsion powers to the Border Patrol and requiring the president to restore Remain in Mexico.” The lawmaker promoted the introduction of the law and the fact that the congressman had reinstated the idea of remaining in Mexico. repeal fentanyl laws;
“Mr. Murray continues to urge Congress to get back to work, addressing the real crisis at the border and ending the petty gamesmanship,” the spokesperson said.
Gonzalez is another Democrat who made disparaging remarks before the expiration of Title 42, which gives the U.S. government the power to ban immigrants from entering the country during the U.S. health crisis. COVID-19 (new coronavirus infection) Pandemic.
During a July 2023 visit to Edinburgh, Texas, Gonzalez reportedly weighed in on whether Biden was doing enough to secure the southern border amid an overwhelming influx of illegal immigrants. He said he dismissed questions and concerns.
“We’ve seen a lot of improvement along the border. … If you go to the border in our region now, there’s nothing that’s noticeable at all,” Gonzalez said, according to the newspaper. rio grande guardian. “When they lifted Title 42 and implemented Title VII, which I was advocating against…I’ll be the first to admit that I was wrong. What the president did, what Secretary Mayorkas did. has had a positive impact on the border, and that is true.”
“People may point fingers and say things, but the reality is illegal immigration is down 70%,” he added at the time.
A little more than a week after Gonzalez made those remarks. The Texas Tribune reported Border Patrol agents have arrested more than 130,000 people along the Mexican border. [in July 2023]According to preliminary figures, this is an increase from 99,545 people in June. ”
Gonzalez was one of 154 Democrats who voted against the Raul Gonzalez Police Officer Safety Act in January, which would have imposed heavy federal penalties on undocumented immigrants who run away. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in pursuit of a motor vehicle. The measure is named after a Border Patrol agent who died in 2015. car accident During a chase in Texas last year.
A U.S. Border Patrol agent speaks with an asylum seeker along the U.S.-Mexico border near Tijuana, Mexico, May 8, 2023, in San Diego. (Dennis Poloy/AP Newsroom)
Gonzalez was one of 201 Democrats to vote no in July 2023, along with Golden and Grusenkamp Perez. School is not a shelterThis prohibits “the use of the facilities of a public elementary school, public secondary school, or institution of higher education to provide shelter to aliens who are not admitted to the United States and for other purposes.” Met.
Mr. Peltola joined 218 Republicans who voted in favor of the bill at the time, but Mr. Davis did not.
“I remain committed to addressing the border crisis, but we must not harm American agriculture in the process,” Davis said in a statement to Fox. “Initially, I had concerns about the e-verification provision in HR-2, but this provision was removed and I joined just four other Democrats in passing HR 3602, the bipartisan Border Catastrophe Ending Act. I was able to support it.”
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Asked if he believed Biden was to blame for the border crisis, Davis said, “The votes speak for themselves.”
CBP records show there were 1,340,801 total encounters in the first six months of fiscal year 2024, exceeding the first six months of fiscal year 2023, which set a record of 1,226,254 total encounters.
