Nearly 95% of migrants crossing illegally do not qualify for asylum: GOP lawmaker
House Appropriations Committee member Rep. Tony Gonzales lays out the steps the Republican Party will take to rein in on the crisis at the border after the midterms on 'Sunday Night in America.'
Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, appeared on "Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy" to discuss the ongoing migrant crisis on the southern border.
On Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas asserted that the southern border "is secure" despite Border Patrol officers reporting record numbers of migrant encounters. Gonzales also insisted that Mayorkas’ statement was not true.
"It’s the furthest thing from secure. I represent 42% of the southern border. There’s certainly no one in my district who thinks it’s secure," Gonzales said.
He recalled weeks prior in June that a tractor-trailer in Texas revealed a human smuggling operation that had over 50 migrants die after the truck was abandoned.
Coverage of the border crisis picked up as Title 42 was set to expire. (John Moore/Getty Images)
Although the situation appeared dire, Gonzales described meeting with Mayorkas to discuss ways to improve the migrant crisis.
"About three weeks ago, Secretary Mayorkas came to my office in D.C., we sat, and we spoke about a few things. I asked him for one thing in particular: to help with this crisis. That’s repatriation of flights out of Del Rio, Texas. Those are essentially flights for folks that do not qualify asylum which are about 95% of migrants coming over. They get put on a plane, and instead of getting sent to another I.C.E. detention in the United States, they get sent back to their country of origin. It’s the only way this goes away," he explained.
Gowdy noted that some Democrat leaders such as New York Mayor Eric Adams and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser have begun acknowledging the struggles dealing with illegal immigrants putting pressure on their cities' social services and budgets. Gonzales, however, noted the Democrats have no one to blame but themselves.
United States border, El Paso, TX (Fox News Digital)
"Of course, we’d seen these Democrat mayors, and other folks, complain about it, because it’s pure chaos. What you are seeing is Democrats control the House, they control Senate, and they control the White House. They created this problem," Gonzales said.
While he called for Republican leadership to take over the House, he mourned the lack of bipartisan effort to improve the border.
"It’s a one-off. You will never see Nancy Pelosi here. You will never see AOC and some of these others, but I think that is what it takes to say how do we put our politics aside and roll up our sleeves for betterment of everyone. I think it can happen, but you know better than anybody else how difficult it is to work in that lane," Gonzales said.
With the likelihood of Republicans taking back control of the House and the past special election of Republican Mayra Flores, Gowdy questioned what Gonzales would think could happen with the GOP in charge.
"I think it starts with us earning the trust of Americans. We saw a little taste of that, especially Hispanic-Americans are coming over in droves to Republican Party. I’m thinking we have an opportunity to change the scope of the party and politics, not for just this year but decades to come," Gonzales said.
Rep. Mayra Flores is the first Republican Latina ever elected to Congress from Texas, and she is also the first female Mexican-born member of the House of Representatives. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
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He concluded, "Once again when we the Republicans have the majority in the House, we have to deliver. It’s about governing, and I think a big part is the commitment to America that you’re going to see Kevin McCarthy roll out here soon, and all of us are going get behind it. That’s a good start. We have to start delivering for all Americans."