House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) will lead a delegation of four freshmen Congressmen to tour the US-Mexico border on Feb. 16.
Newly-elected Juan Sistomani (R-Arizona), Lori Chavez Delemar (R-Oregon), Jen Kiggans (R-VA) and Derrick Van Oden (R-Wisconsin) accompanied McCarthy on Thursday, U.S. Border Patrol air tour of the Tucson sector and a briefing from a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer.
At approximately 262 miles long, the Tucson Sector covers most of Arizona from the New Mexico border to the Yuma County border. According to CBP, this is one of the busiest areas for Border Patrol agents to arrest illegal immigrants and seize marijuana.
The visit will be the first time McCarthy has led a House delegation to the border since becoming Speaker. Previously, as parliamentary minority leader, he made three such trips in March 2021, April last year and in November.
“Last week, secretary. [Alejandro] Majorcas testified under oath that yes, the border was safe.
“I’m here to tell you that’s not the case,” he added, noting that more than four million illegal border crossings have been made since President Joe Biden took office.
McCarthy has been highly critical of the Homeland Security Secretary’s southern border control, calling for his resignation and warning of possible impeachment proceedings to deport him.
Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) and Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Arizona) filed articles of impeachment against Majorcas in the weeks after their parties took control, so McCarthy The move appears to have won the support of his Congress.
“Every day, as long as Secretary of State Majorcas is in office, America is becoming less safe,” Biggs claimed in a Feb. 1 statement, referring to Majorcas as the “chief architect” of the crisis at the southern border. accused of being.
A Homeland Security spokesperson, who describes the Republican impeachment effort as “unprecedented, unjust and partisan,” told the Epoch Times on Feb. 10 that in anticipation of a possible investigation, the Department of Homeland Security said it had already hired an outside lawyer.
“DHS will continue to prioritize work to protect the country from terrorism, respond to natural disasters, and secure our borders, while responding appropriately to the more than 70 congressional committees and subcommittees that oversee DHS.” added the spokesperson.
