WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, today visited El Paso, Texas with a bipartisan group of senators, including Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), as well as Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas to tour migrant facilities at the border, receive on-site briefings, and assess the ongoing crisis.

“The men and women of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol, and Health and Human Services are doing all they can in the midst of this historic, and preventable, humanitarian crisis,” Senator Capito, Ranking Member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, said. “Seeing firsthand the challenges we face and the work we need to do was greatly beneficial as we work to craft solutions and make funding decisions. Balancing the humanitarian needs with an unwavering commitment to preventing drugs from being smuggled into places like West Virginia is challenging. Today’s visit was a clear reminder that this situation requires urgent action, including increased transparency, policies that deter mass illegal immigration, and a recommitment to securing our nation’s borders.”

During the visit, the senators toured the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry operated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) where they viewed screening procedures and drug detection efforts. The lawmakers then visited a CBP Central Processing Center where CBP processes asylum seekers – including unaccompanied minors and family units – that have crossed the border. The senators’ visit also included state-licensed U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement shelter facility, which provides care to unaccompanied minors while they wait to be placed with a sponsor.

This week, amid the rapidly escalating crisis along the southern border, more than 40 Republican U.S. senators, led by Senator Capito, sent a letter to GAO Comptroller Gene L. Dodaro highlighting President Joe Biden’s suspension of border wall funding and construction without lawful justification, as required by the Impoundment Control Act.

Border Group Photo_Release Resized

U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas in El Paso, Texas on Friday, March 19, 2021.

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