On Friday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) visited the border city of Laredo, Texas. His visit took place one day after a delegation of freshmen Republican lawmakers led by Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) visited a different part of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Jeffries and Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), whose district contains Laredo, had meetings and sessions with local leaders and law enforcement to discuss the border crisis and challenges faced by local communities. Following the meetings, they held a brief press conference outside the City of Laredo’s World Trade Bridge administrative building.
During the press conference, Jeffries called on President Biden and his administration to take action in order to ease migration from “countries like Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela.” However, he added that “a congressional solution” was also necessary and that “comprehensive immigration reform” was necessary for handling the immigration crisis in a “humane” way that “respects the rule of law” and public safety.
The House Republicans, which currently hold the majority in the lower chamber, have emphasized the importance of securing the border, while migrant encounters remain at record highs.
On Thursday, McCarthy visited Cochise County, Ariz., with four first-term House Republicans who flipped previously Democratic-controlled seats during the 2022 midterm elections.
On Wednesday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee investigations and health subcommittees also held a field hearing in McAllen, Texas. The House Judiciary Committee has also scheduled a hearing in Yuma, Ariz.
