After a group of 26 Republican governors, spearheaded by Gov. Doug Ducey (R), sent a letter to the Biden administration requesting to meet and discuss the ongoing crisis at the border, the group is pushing forward with solutions.
That letter, sent in late September, was ignored by the White House.
“As chief executives of our states, we request a meeting with you at The White House to bring an end to the national security crisis created by eight months of unenforced borders,” that letter said. “The months-long surge in illegal crossings has instigated an international humanitarian crisis, spurred a spike in international criminal activity, and opened the floodgates to human traffickers and drug smugglers endangering public health and safety in our states. A crisis that began at our southern border now extends beyond to every state and requires immediate action before the situation worsens.”
In a Wednesday press release, the Republican Governors Association (RGA) provided an update on what has happened since the letter was sent.
“Since [the letter was sent], White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has inaccurately accused Republicans of not offering solutions and made excuses for the President, who has spent his life in politics and appears to have never visited the border,” that release said. “Not having the time is no excuse, the President has repeatedly had ‘his schedule cleared.'”
The RGA also made it clear that they do have solutions ready to be implemented.
Those solutions are:
- Continue Title 42 public health restrictions.
- Fully reinstate the Migrant Protection Protocols.
- Finish securing the border.
- End catch and release.
- Clear the judicial backlog.
- Resume the deportation of all criminals.
- Dedicate federal resources to eradicate human tracfficking [sic] and drug trafficking.
- Re-enter all agreements with our Northern Triangle partners and Mexico.
- Send a clear message to potential migrants.
- Deploy more federal law enforcement officers.
The RGA expounded upon those solutions in a six-page document, providing the White House with more details.
Ducey, who is the chairman of the RGA, also made a statement in the RGA release.
“For the past eight months of Joe Biden’s presidency, we’ve witnessed an uncontrolled southern border due to this administration’s policies,” he said. “Republican governors have answered the call in the absence of leadership and lack of resources from the federal government, but urgent federal action is needed as the impact of the surges in unaccompanied children, deadly drugs, and criminals is being felt in states throughout the country.”
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Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
