Democratic Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar disputed his own party’s recent claims that the U.S.-Mexico border is secure on “The Faulkner Focus” Tuesday.
Members of Cuellar’s party, including Vice President Kamala Harris, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas have all insisted the border “is secure” and have called for immigration reform.
“Look, obviously the border is not secure and I’ve been saying this for so many years,” Cuellar said. “We got to look at what Secretary Jay Johnson did. Actually, [former] President [Donald] Trump deported less people than [former] President [Barack] Obama because we had the right repercussions. You got to have the right repercussions.”
Host Harris Faulkner argued former President Barack Obama deported more migrants because more were flooding across the border during his administration in comparison to during former President Donald Trump’s time in office. The Trump administration implemented the “Remain in Mexico” policy requiring migrants to await their U.S. court processing hearings in Mexico, with the aim of having less border crossings. (RELATED: ‘Resign’: Biden’s DHS Secretary Shredded For Claiming The Border Is ‘Secure’)
“Again, you got to have the right repercussions, and I’ve been saying this for so many years,” the congressman said. “You got to listen to the border communities, you got to listen to the landowners. I’ve lived in the ranch and being out there in the middle of nowhere and not knowing who’s going to knock on your door, it can be very difficult. I know, I’ve done that before. I’ve done this. And this is what my landowners have been telling me.”
Cuellar called for an increase in personnel and agents to be present at the southern border to tackle the influx of migrants. He also said deportations are necessary in order to send the message that migrants cannot simply cross the border and remain in the country.
He also told Faulkner he has attempted to tell President Joe Biden that there is a need for personnel and deportations, but the Biden administration has apparently not listened to him.
Migrant encounters have more than doubled since Biden took office in January 2021, according to data by Customs and Border Protection (CBP). In 202o, a total of 458,088 migrants were encountered at the border, then that number surged to 1.7 million in the first year of Biden’s presidency.