A top Texas lawmaker on the forefront of the fight against illegal immigration told FOX News he believes liberals are waking up to the crisis caused or exacerbated by the Biden administration.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, pointed to recent comments and actions by several top municipal and state Democrats that have conflicted with Biden administration claims the Mexican border is secure and that the migrant deluge is not a crisis.
Roy also spoke to "Life, Liberty & Levin" about Republicans' continued battle with controlling Democrats to make leeway on securing the border, which many on the right believe was in much better straits under former President Donald Trump.
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"We've now been able to, through the work of Gov. Abbott, Gov. DeSantis in Florida and others, helping highlight the problem by, frankly, sending some of the folks to New York City or D.C. or Martha's Vineyard."
He alluded to New York City Mayor Eric Adams warning that illegal migration will "destroy" the city and how Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey went from praising "sanctuary" policies while she was attorney general to declaring a state of emergency in recent months.
"When you've got leaders in Los Angeles who are talking about this crisis, now people are starting to wake up to what we've been experiencing in Texas," Roy said.
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On Friday, X — formerly Twitter — owner Elon Musk also live-streamed a visit to the border at Eagle Pass, Texas.
Roy pointed to a case where several dozen migrants being hauled in a big-rig died in the San Antonio heat, as well as allegations the Mexican cartels are engaged in sex trafficking and child trafficking due to the porous border.
"This is the least Christian, the least faithful, the least compassionate way that a society could govern themselves in the false name of compassion, and we have got to stop it," Roy said.
"So my message is pretty simple to the Republicans: Put up or shut up. I've had it... I am going to hold the line on this, and I'm delivering that message to Speaker McCarthy, to Leader McConnell. We've got to secure the border."
He said it is well past the usefulness of a "Gang of 8"-type solution to the crisis, referring to the 2013 immigration reform plans drafted by a bipartisan group of senators including Michael Bennet, D-Colo., Bob Menendez, D-N.J., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
Instead, Roy touted Republicans' latest immigration reform measure, H.R. 2 — the Secure the Border Act introduced by Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., earlier this year, which the House passed but the Senate has not.