Austin News

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) joined other Republicans in rebuking the current administration's relaxed policies on border control  – particularly regarding unaccompanied minors  – during a Homeland Security Committee hearing.

"President (Donald) Trump did a masterful job negotiating the Remain in Mexico policy and the asylum agreements with Central America," McCaul said on social media. "This was a major achievement and it shouldn’t have been tossed away by President (Joe) Biden."

Border Patrol has encountered close to 1,000 unaccompanied children each day, according to a press release. This number is up from the daily average of 370 children during a peak in Trump’s presidency and 354 during a peak in Barack Obama’s presidency.

McCaul, whose district includes parts of the Austin metropolitan area, says the rising number of migrants along the Southwest border were inspired by Biden’s immigration policies, which included a 100-day pause on deportations and a halt to construction of the border wall. Asylum is the legal protection granted to individuals who have come to the United States and are afraid to return to their home country; previously, the Trump administration required asylum applicants to wait in Mexico until their application for asylum was granted.

“This administration’s actions have had a direct cause and effect on this humanitarian and border crisis,” McCaul said.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-California) described what he saw as "human heartbreak" after a trip to El Paso to assess the situation.

President Biden's Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who stated the increased border crossings of unaccompanied minors does not classify as a crisis, maintains the administration's changes are a step in the right direction.

“We have a very serious challenge, and I don’t think the difficulty of that challenge can be overstated,” Mayorkas said. “We also have a plan to address it. We are executing on our plan and we will succeed.”

Mayorkas acknowledged the Biden administration may not have adequately notified communities chosen to host facilities for migrant teens and children and said some people were released without being tested for COVID-19.