Canada-U.S. border policy, security new target of Republican lawmakers – National | 24CA News
A bunch of Republicans on Capitol Hill is popping its gaze in direction of Canada because it ramps up political criticism of President Joe Biden’s immigration technique.
Rep. Mike Kelly from Pennsylvania and Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke are launching a brand new congressional caucus centered on immigration, crime and nationwide safety on the Canada-U.S. border.
The “Northern Border Security Caucus,” to be formally introduced Tuesday, is being billed as bipartisan, though it’s unclear if any of its 28 members are Democrats.
Republicans in Congress are often much more centered on the U.S.-Mexico border, the place unlawful immigration is likely one of the Biden administration’s weakest political flanks.
But which may be altering, due to a gradual enhance within the variety of “encounters” being reported at or close to the Canadian frontier with individuals within the nation illegally.
From October by January, U.S. Customs and Border Protection recorded 55,736 such encounters, greater than half of the whole quantity from the 2022 fiscal yr.
Caucus members “are concerned about the increased human and drug trafficking, along with the decrease in Border Patrol agents and lack of security, along the U.S.-Canada border,” Kelly’s workplace stated in a news launch.
“Recent news reports, along with data compiled over the past two years, show a surge in illegal migrant crossings and drug trafficking across the northern border.”
House Republicans anticipated to attend Tuesday’s launch embrace North Dakota Rep. Kelly Armstrong, Minnesota Rep. Pete Stauber, Rep. Claudia Tenney of New York, Michigan Rep. Lisa McClain and Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas.
Officials from the National Border Patrol Council, the union that represents U.S. Border Patrol brokers, are additionally anticipated to attend Tuesday’s occasion, together with vice-president and Fox News fixture Hector Garza.
© 2023 The Canadian Press
