Cartels have “operational control” of the nation’s southern border, but the Biden administration and congressional Democrats are refusing to do anything, Rep. Chip Roy said Wednesday.
“Anybody who’s following it knows that,” the Texas Republican charged on Fox News’ “The Faulkner Focus.”
“Tamaulipas, the state right across the border from Texas, is run by the dangerous cartels, the Reynosa faction of the Gulf Cartel and the Cartel del Noreste of Los Zetas. They are using human beings as shields for profit.”
Roy said the cartels are moving people into Texas’ communities, including San Antonio, which he represents.
“We’ve stopped vehicles with human beings that are being sent to stash houses in Houston to be used for profit and human trafficking and sex trafficking,” said Roy. “This is happening in the most powerful nation in the world. We’re allowing this to occur and Democrats refuse to do anything about it.”
Vice President Kamala Harris was tasked with handling the border issues, he continued, and although she’s been on the job for a month, “she has done nothing. She’s not gone to the border. She’s done nothing to address this,” Roy continued.
Meanwhile, Roy said he filed a discharge petition to a bill requiring reinforcement to begin again under Title 42 of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s requirement and guidelines to protect against the influx of disease into the United States.
The rule was in place under former President Donald Trump, but the Biden administration has not enforced it.
“Now we will force a vote on the floor of the House,” said Roy, adding that for it to take effect, at least 6 Democrat colleagues will need to “agree that we should secure our border and fight against the spread of the pandemic.”
Roy said when all Republicans sign the petition, then work will start to attract Democrats to agree.
“I have great friends like (Rep.) Henry Cuellar on the southern border and he understands how bad it is,” said Roy.
“I hope Henry and some others will join us in the effort. This is a simple question. Do you think we ought to employ all tools that our disposal to stop the flow coming across our border and protect Americans against the dangerous pandemic when we’re still having lockdowns and still having restrictions in place and mask guidelines and protocols here? Why aren’t we doing what we are doing to secure the border?”
He added that he doesn’t know why the Biden White House won’t use Title 42 to expel migrants, and if it has knowledge that the pandemic is over, he wishes something would be done to help all of the negative impacts on the economy through shutdowns.
“I hope they tell us and wish they would stop putting Dr. (Anthony) Fauci out there to continue to confuse the American people,” said Roy. “What is happening at our border, they’re doing it for political reasons. Simple.”
He added that the cartels are not only a problem for Texas, but for the whole country, but the Biden administration doesn’t care.
“(They are) ignoring what is happening at the border with respect to COVID,” he said. “We know that there are COVID-infected children in the facilities. How do I know that? I went there. You know who hasn’t gone there? Kamala Harris. They only want to use it for political purposes rather than doing their job to secure the border.”
The Border Patrol will also say that Title 42 enforcement is the tool needed to stop the influx of migrants crossing the border.
“The Democrats in the White House have already gotten rid of it for kids and families but now they’re rumbling about getting rid of it for everybody,” said Roy. “If hey do that the bum’s rush at our border, that will make the 171,000 in March seem like a trivial number.”
