After officially recognizing the emergency crisis along the southern border, Texas Senate Republicans stood side by side with U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz in demanding Congress fully fund border security.
Saying the Texas Senate was “willing to state the obvious,” State Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R–Houston), the chairman of the chamber’s Republican Caucus, explained the resolution that passed out of the Texas Senate recently, which calls on the federal government to recognize the detrimental results the border security crisis has had on Texas and the United States.
Bettencourt also pointed towards the $823 million cost that Texas has had to spend defending the border this biennium.
“It’s good to see the Texas Senate standing up in what ought to be a bipartisan statement,” said Cornyn, adding that in 2014 then-President Barack Obama acknowledged the situation along the border as a “humanitarian crisis.” Indeed, the resolution was passed along party lines, with every Democrat member voting against the resolution.
Cruz echoed Cornyn’s sentiment.
“Some partisan politicians say we don’t have a crisis on the border,” said Cruz. “I call upon Senate Democrats, in Texas and Washington, to stop playing partisan politics. Come together. Let’s solve this problem.”
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who was also in attendance, admonished the liberal media in attendance at the press conference for not properly covering the death toll of illegal border crossings and the effects of human trafficking.
“No teenage girl should be forced to have sex 15-20 times a day,” said Patrick. “This is not a manufactured crisis, it’s a manufactured cover-up. And the Democrats won’t do anything about it.”
State Sen. Pete Flores (R–Pleasanton), who represents over 400 miles of the southern border and two major ports of entry, said, “The border of today is not the same as the border of my youth.”
Flores said the border was a top issue for his constituents who are currently suffering both property damage and threats to their safety as a result of drug and human trafficking by illegal aliens.
“We need to be able to go to our deer blind and not worry about someone being in it that’s not supposed to be in there,” he added.
Several Texas Democrat senators held their own counter-press conference opposing the resolution, with U.S. Congressman Joaquin Castro in attendance.
