House Republicans Hold 1st Border Hearing Of New Congress

El Paso overflows with immigrants crossing the border

On Wednesday, Republicans will take their first opportunity in the new Congress to denounce what they say was a protracted immigration crisis along the southwestern border due to the Biden administration's overly lax policies.

"How many illegal immigrants will cross the southern border this month?" asked House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, who is leading the hearings, on Twitter last week.

To answer Jordan's question: The number of illegal border crossings has decreased recently, a fact that undermines the GOP narrative. Last week, the number of border arrests fell to its lowest level since February 2021 at about 5,000 per day, according to the Department of Homeland Security. It fell from 8,000 to 9,000 in December, according to DHS, and sources told ABC News that the downward trend is now continuing.

MORE: Outlines Biden's New Border Strategy: Deporting Some Immigrants While Expanding Some Asylum Claims

In any case, Republicans should continue to scoff at the administration for its attempts to combine border crackdowns with new, narrower routes to get help for some immigrants.

A group of states, largely led by the Republican Party, is suing the administration over a pilot program that allowed up to 30,000 refugees from Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti and Venezuela to apply for amnesty. Humanitarian aid. Democrats have long supported asylum seekers, and some say more can be done to support those fleeing violence.

House Rep. James Comer, chair of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, sits in front of Speaker Anna Paulina Luna as Rep. Jim Jordan and Rep. Paul Gosar during a meeting of the House Oversight and Reform Committee on January 31, 2023.

© Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images Rep. James Comer, chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, talks to a member of the House. Anna Palina Luna as Rep. Jim Jordan and Rep. Paul Gosar sit across from each other during a meeting of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on January 31, 2023. Plus: the influx of immigrants to the southern border has led to increased law and order.

“We need to create a safe and orderly way for people to receive treatment and seek asylum,” the spokesman said. Rep. Greg Kassar, Texas, a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, plans to hold his own hearing on the boundary issue in late February.

Along with its probationary program, Mexico agreed to accept up to 30,000 refugees from four countries. For now, the administration is relying on a controversial Trump-era executive order under Section 42 of the U.S. Public Health Act that allows immigrants to be moved quickly out of the border.

"I believe the Section 42 expansion is in place to delay the Republicans' political attack on immigrants and the administration," Casar said. "I think this was a mistake."

Read more: The threat of immigrants from 4 Latin American countries has dropped sharply: DHS

The actual extension of Section 42 will depend on whether immigrants continue to attempt to cross the border without permission. The decline in January, combined with the ability to seek border approval from an improved law enforcement position, is an encouraging sign for the Biden administration.

Rep. James Comer, Chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, Rep. Jim Jordan, and Rep. Paul Gosar at a meeting of the House Oversight and Reform Committee at the Rayburn House office building, Jan. 31, 2023.

© Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images Rep. James Comer, Chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, Rep. Jim Jordan, and Rep. Paul Gosar at the House Oversight and Reform Committee January 31 meeting at the Reber House office building. , 2023.

At a hearing Wednesday in Terrell County, Texas, Judge Dale Lynn Carruthers likened the historical extent of illegal immigration in the Southwest to an "invasion."

Right-wing extremists are pursuing a similar line. Authorities have documented anti-immigrant motives and "invasion" rhetoric in connection with the 2019 El Paso Walmart shooter Patrick Crucius, who killed 23 people and wounded dozens. Crucius said he went to El Paso to stop what he called a "Latin American invasion" of Texas.

Another committee witness, Cochise County, Arizona Sheriff Mark Daniels, called the Biden administration's approach to immigration policy "deliberately open borders," regardless of the Section 42 allegations.

Despite progress in reducing illegal border crossings, there are more and more migrants in South Florida who are returning to the sea. Seasonal weather and hurricanes in the Caribbean can temporarily delay migration and give false signs of progress.

This week, the Biden administration announced a formal end to the looming COVID-19 health emergency. After trying to overturn the Section 42 deportation order, the Biden administration was blocked by a GOP-led state group from completely lifting the emergency policy.

The broader end of the pandemic emergency could be yet another attempt to change a policy that has drawn a lot of criticism from the left. Migrant advocates ridicule the government for continuing to implement programs that would drastically reduce humanitarian protection for migrants fleeing targeted attacks in Central and South America.