Rep. Gonzales warns border is ‘on fire,’ lays out plan to end migrant crisis

Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, whose district includes part of the U.S. border with Mexico, is warning that the U.S. immigration system is currently "on fire" as he lays out a plan to end the crisis at the southern border — and urges Republicans and Democrats to act urgently to implement it.

"Over 1.5 million migrants crossed our southern border this year — the largest spike in more than two decades," Gonzales writes on "Biden’s Border Crisis," an essay included in former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley’s new book. "Our immigration system is on fire, and bad policies are fanning the flames," the congressman adds.

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Gonzales, a freshman Republican who is also vice chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Conference, laid out his perspective in Haley’s book "American Strength: Conservative Solutions Worth Fighting For."'

The book, shared first with Fox News on Wednesday, includes a broad coalition of conservative voices, with both domestic and foreign policy chapters written by friends of Haley who are considered experts in their fields. The book is being released through Haley’s "Stand for America" nonprofit advocacy organization.

Gonzales’ district includes 800 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border. While a new member of Congress, Gonzales has been sounding the alarm for months on the ongoing border crisis, warning about the flow of migrants and drugs into the U.S. -- and particularly on how the crisis is affecting border communities in Texas and elsewhere.

In the chapter, he says that in one area of the border, migrants have been arrested from at least 92 countries: "Although most travel to escape poor economic conditions, it is not uncommon for convicted criminals to be discovered among large groups of migrant caravans. How long before our open floodgates lead to another 9/11?"

Gonzales also notes the increase in apprehensions of fentanyl at the border, as well as the risk of potential COVID-19 transmission from migrants who come across in cramped conditions, and the hazards that the migrants face as they make their way through multiple countries and into the U.S.

"At our core, we are compassionate people. My life has been the American Dream, and I want others to have that same opportunity," he argues. "We can go beyond political labels to reach solutions for our nation’s most pressing problems and address our flawed border security policies."

As part of the policy prescriptions, Gonzales calls for better staffing of immigration courts to reduce backlogs, expedite the asylum process and subsequently deport those with invalid asylum claims sooner.

He also adds his voice to the number of Republicans who have called for the reinstitution of the Trump-era "Remain-in-Mexico" policy, which kept migrants in Mexico for the duration of their hearings — and which the Biden administration is partly resuming due to a court order.

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"Moving forward, we must continue working with our international partners to stem the tide of migration before it reaches our southern border," he writes. "If we combine that approach with an increase to our immigration courts’ staffing levels, we can take a huge step forward in establishing an efficient system."

Republicans have consistently called for the Biden administration to continue with Trump-era policies that it has since ended — such as border wall construction. Gonzales says that a mix of wall and tech is needed: "In some places, that means we could benefit from a physical structure like a wall. In others, border technology is a much more suitable option."

Additionally, he calls for Congress to increase staffing for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) -- including Border Patrol -- noting ongoing legislative efforts to do so.

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"I urge Republicans and Democrats alike to address the border crisis," he says. "It needs our full attention now, and we must address it with a sense of urgency."

The policy book comes as Republicans are eyeing a potential recapture of the House and Senate in the 2022 midterm elections, and are likely to face questions about how they would resolve ongoing issues facing the country -- including the border crisis -- if they were to control the chambers.

Fox News' Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.