Rio Grande City mayor: Politicians are the root cause of the border crisis
Rio Grande City, Texas Mayor Joel Villarreal on the border crisis and politicians' failure to find a solution
A Texas border mayor called out both parties Monday on "America's Newsroom," arguing Republicans and Democrats are the "root cause" of the border crisis.
"It is a crisis relative to immigration and border security. And unfortunately, we have a tendency to look beyond our borders for the elusive root causes when in reality and unfortunately, the fact remains that politicians on both sides of the aisle are the root cause," said Rio Grande City, Texas Mayor Joel Villarreal.
Villarreal said no mayor or governor should "bear the burden" for what he described as a "broken immigration system."
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Villarreal said he is not confident the influx of illegal immigration will end because "neither party has delivered immigration reform in several decades."
Vice President Kamala Harris visited Austin this weekend, but declined to make a stop at the southern border. Villarreal responded by saying that "the border czar, Congress, and the White House have squandered a golden opportunity to forge a distinguished legacy as champions for immigration and border security."
"Border security is absolutely critical, and we must exercise caution against our global enemies, exploiting our broken immigration system to inflict pain on Americans. And we must remain vigilant and cognizant of national security," said Villarreal.
"It's imperative that American interests are front and center. Immigration must benefit America for it to remain viable. Otherwise, immigration would be untenable."
Drone footage from Abram-Perezville, Texas on March, 29, 2021.
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Harris joined a conversation at the LBJ Presidential Library on Saturday to discuss abortion access, then gave a speech at a fundraiser for the Texas Democratic Party.
Harris said "the border is secure" during a September interview. Meanwhile, annual arrests along the border surpassed 2 million for the first time that same month.
Fox News' Ethan Barton, Gabrielle Reyes, and Ramiro Vargas contributed to this report