Led by Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert, a total of 23 House members put forth a resolution to censure President Joe Biden for “dereliction of duty” in regard to the U.S.-Mexico border.
“My censure bill holds President Biden accountable for his actions — or lack thereof — at the border,” said Boebert. “Biden has refused to enforce the laws securing our border, he has refused to visit our border, his border czar Kamala has refused to visit the border, and his Secretary of Homeland Security is lying to the American people by saying that our border is closed.”
The Republicans voice concerns with the migrant surge at the border, given there were 180,000 border encounters in May and increases in the arrests of drug smugglers, sex offenders, and murderers. Vice President Kamala Harris has gone 92 days without visiting the border since being appointed as Biden’s point person on the issue and is set to visit El Paso this Friday with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
While the resolution will inevitably die in the Democrat-led House, it underscores the mounting frustration of Republicans with how the White House has approached immigration.
“The Biden Administration is a complete disaster,” said Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, a co-sponsor, in a statement. “President Biden and Vice President Harris have sent an unequivocal message that they prefer illegal immigrants over Americans. Their radical agenda has erased our southern border. Americans suffer from the Biden policy which has encouraged more than one million illegal border crossings this year which has produced increased human, sex, and drug trafficking. The American people condemn the Biden Administration’s dereliction of duty.”
Boebert went to the border in February, unlike the vice president, and brought a cardboard Harris figure to highlight her lack of executive leadership. Several groups have backed the resolution, including, American Principles Project, Citizens for Renewing America, Eagle Forum, Federation for American Immigration Reform, Heritage Action, and NumbersUSA.
