Click here or the image above to watch Senator Capito’s remarks.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, Vice Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, joined her Republican colleagues to discuss the immigration, drug, humanitarian, and national security crisis at our southern border. During her remarks, Senator Capito highlighted the brave efforts of the men and women of the West Virginia National Guard who assisted in Operation Lone Star on the southern border, the lack of interior enforcement, and the absence of action on the crisis from President Biden and his administration.

HIGHLIGHTS:

FENTANYL: “It is true, this is a 50-state problem. 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.”

OPERATION LONE STAR: “Our West Virginia National Guard just joined the Texas National Guard on Operation Lone Star on the border near Eagle Pass. Basically, the impressions that I got after talking with them, the word that was repeated, often from all of them was how ‘shocked’ they were at the situation, how out-of-control the situation is.”

INTERIOR ENFORCEMENT: “What's happening in the interior once they get here? It is catch and release. You come in, you register, and you're on your way. And then guess what? You wait 10 years. 10 years before your case is actually heard, if it gets heard, even then because of the backlog. There's 6 million people in the backlog right now. You can imagine it's doubling every three years because of the inadequacy of the Biden administration to address this very difficult issue.”

BIDEN’S BROKEN SYSTEM: “We could do a lot right there on the border to help with this issue, but this administration has refused to do that. 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.”

# # #