A border town mayor claimed Wednesday that the influx of illegal migrants entering is not an “invasion,” but a “humanitarian crisis.”
Democratic Rio Grande City Mayor Joel Villarreal disputed Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s declaration of invasion at the U.S.-Mexico border, issued to invoke state powers to increase security and return illegal immigrants to Mexico. The declaration allows for the Texas government to deploy the National Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) to build a border wall, return migrants to Mexico and designate Mexican cartels as foreign terrorists.
“Unfortunately, what I see here, and by the way, I disagree with the governor regarding the immigration as invasion because this type of rhetoric has resulted in discriminatory immigration policies in American history,” Villarreal said. “This is a humanitarian crisis and we have to call it for what it is. It is a crisis, there’s no doubt. We must address it with, of course, Washington D.C. having the answers.”
He said mayors are partnering to “manage” the influx of migrants and called on the federal government to assist with the crisis. He criticized both parties for failing to pass comprehensive immigration reform and communicate with state and local officials. (RELATED: County Officials In Texas To Declare Border Crisis An ‘Invasion’)
Migrant apprehensions have surged since the beginning of President Joe Biden’s administration. Agents encountered 230,678 migrants at the border in October 2022 — the beginning of the 2023 fiscal year — a surge from the 164,837 apprehended in the same month the previous year, according to Customs and Border Protection.
The mayor added that the cartels are “utilizing” U.S. laws “exploit our broken immigration system” to make a fortune. He called on Mexico to work with U.S. officials to create a “mutual partnership” in managing the flow of immigration.
Earlier reports have indicated that Mexican officials are doing little to prevent illegal immigration by allowing migrants to cross the border into the U.S. rather than help control the mass migration. Abbott met with Mexican officials in order to negotiate a deal to increase security presence along the Mexican side of the border.
An Ipsos/NPR poll found in August that the majority of Americans, 54%, believe it is “somewhat true” that there is an invasion on the southern border. Half of those surveyed also believe migrants are responsible for rising drug deaths due to migrants carrying a large quantities of fentanyl across the border.