U.S. Representative Dan Crenshaw of Texas stated that Mexican cartels are controlling the United States border, and law enforcement "needs additional resources" to protect the country from violence. Crenshaw made the statement on June 12 on X.
"It's common sense: border area law enforcement needs additional resources when it comes to protecting their communities," said Crenshaw, U.S. Representative for Texas. "Under the Biden Administration, Mexican cartels have operational control of our borders. When law enforcement across the border has the resources it needs, it benefits the country as a whole."
According to the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), cartels' drug trafficking and human smuggling operations gain nearly $1 billion per month. This money is being used to expand operations across the southwest border into the United States. Migrants desiring entrance to the United States currently pay smugglers up to $8,000. These migrants are smuggled across the border and exploited for their payment.
Crenshaw's X post.
| https://x.com/DanCrenshawTX/status/1801045078149910601
The Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2024 would allocate $91.5 billion to the Department of Homeland Security, which is $2.090 billion more than in Fiscal Year 2023, according to the bill. If passed, some of this money would be used to expand the border wall and reinforce security operations at the border.
Recent violence has been attributed to inadequate resources at the border. According to Fox News, two illegal Venezuelan immigrants were charged with the murder of a 12-year-old girl in Texas on June 20. Both men had been caught by U.S. Border Patrol at the time of their crossing and then were released into the interior of the country. A Maryland mother, Rachel Morin, was raped and murdered by Victor Martin Hernandez on August 5, 2023; Hernandez, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, was arrested this week for her murder. Hernandez allegedly came to the United States after murdering a woman in El Salvador.
Crenshaw has served as U.S. Representative for Texas’ 2nd Congressional District since 2019, according to his website. He is a former Navy SEAL and a Purple Heart recipient.
