WLBT-TV Jackson

Hyde-Smith, Cruz among senators headed to southern border as crisis persists

By Josh Carter

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Senators Cindy Hyde-Smith (R, Miss.) and Ted Cruz (R, Tx.) are among a group of 19 Republicans headed to the U.S.-Mexico border as the crisis there continues.

The senators will travel to McAllen, Texas for briefings and tours Thursday and Friday.

“We’re headed to the border to better understand the scope of the problems facing federal agents and communities dealing with what is clearly a crisis on the border,” Hyde-Smith said in a statement Thursday.

According to the Associated Press, there has been a “dramatic spike” in the number of people encountered by border officials since Biden’s inauguration in January.

In February alone there were nearly 19,000 family members and 9,000 unaccompanied children encountered, “an increase of 168% and 63%, respectively, from the month before,” the AP writes

Wednesday, President Joe Biden announced that Vice President Kamala Harris will lead the administration’s response at the U.S.-Mexico border, stating that her time as California AG would equip her for the task.

The Biden administration has blamed gang violence and economic troubles in South America as the reason for the sudden surge of migrants at the border.

His critics, though, have said that Biden’s doing away with several policies from the Trump administration are the reasons for the surge, including Biden’s decision to allow unaccompanied minors into the country.