A group of Republican Congressman were in Yuma Tuesday to tour the border with local Border Patrol agents.
Congressmen on the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform visited a section of the border fence near the Morelos Dam. They also met with local elected officials and Yuma Sector Border Patrol leaders.
U.S. Representative Andy Biggs of Mesa joined the other Congressmen including fellow Arizonan Rep. Paul Gosar in Yuma in calling on President Joe Biden and his administration to finish the wall and keep the pandemic-era policy known as Title 42 in place. It’s send to end May 23.
“I come to Yuma a lot," Congressman Biggs said. "I come to the border quite often and this is quite frankly as bad, quite frankly, it’s worse than I’ve ever seen it."
"It’s going to get worse as Title 42 goes away," Biggs continued. "There will be more people coming in than ever. Our Border Patrol agents are overwhelmed. They spend a lot of time processing folks, a lot of time transporting folks.”
Freshman Congressman Byron Donalds of Florida said the Biden Administration knows the number of migrants coming to the border remains high but they are not choosing to do anything about the situation.
"(President Biden) has had the same border policy since taking office, the border's been wide open," Donalds said. "We've had major surges across every section of the border, not just here in Yuma. But the President's refused to change course."
Before coming to Yuma, the Congressmen visited the border near San Diego. In Yuma, they met with officials including Mayor Doug Nicholls, Yuma County Supervisor Jonathan Lines, and Border Patrol sector Chief Chris Clem.
When the Congressmen were in the San Diego area, they said they witnessed migrants from Ukraine, who they said are being left alone by cartels as they seek asylum following the invasion from Russia. Migrants from Ukraine have not been reported in the Yuma Sector.
