Area Republicans are stepping up their criticism of President Joe Biden’s handling of the southern border.
One day after Gov. Jim Justice blasted Biden for failing to secure the border, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va, joined fellow Republicans Wednesday in a virtual press conference where she took aim at Biden for failing to secure the border and stop the deadly flow of narcotics — specifically fentanyl — into America.
“It is true This is a 50-state problem,” Capito said of the border crisis. “The fentanyl problem in my state is particularly difficult. It touches families. It touches old, young, husbands, wives, sons and daughters with very tragic results.”
Capito said she met recently with several members of the West Virginia National Guard who participated in Operation Lone Star last month at the southern border. She said the volunteer troops offered an alarming assessment of the situation at the border.
“Our West Virginia National Guard just joined the Texas National Guard on Operation Lone Star near Eagle Pass, and basically the impressions I got after talking to them, the word that was repeated, often from all of them was how shocked they were by the situation,” Capito said. “How out of control the situation is.”
Capito said Biden could take immediate steps today to secure the border, but is refusing to do so.
“We could do a lot right there on the border to help with this issue, but this administration has refused to do that,” Capito said.
“So, this is a broken system that the president won’t face. And you know, we keep talking about it, but I don’t hear him talking about it. I don’t hear the administration talking about it. I hear them trying to talk about everything but this very difficult issue that is on top of everybody’s mind: illegal immigration.”
On Tuesday, Justice joined Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, and 23 other Republican governors, in sending a letter to Biden demanding action on the southern border. In the letter, the 25 states addressed how the border crisis is impacting their individual states.
However, Justice predicted that the letter would end up in a trash can at the White House without Biden even reading it.
“We’ve got to do something about this,” Justice said. “It’s an effort. We are signing a letter, or sending a letter, with 24 other Republican governors. Will it do one bit of good, or will it even see the light of day or just be thrown into a trash can? My guess is it will be thrown into a trash can. But at least we are trying.”