Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) called the methods reportedly being used at the southern border by Texas “not acceptable” but did not directly criticize Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) for his work to prevent illegal immigrants from entering the state.
Gonzales said in a Sunday interview with Margaret Brennan on CBS News’s “Face the Nation” that what’s been happening at the border “hasn’t been acceptable for two years.”
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“The border crisis has been anything but humane. I think you’re seeing the governor do everything he possibly can just to secure the border,” Gonzales said, adding that he doesn’t think the buoys are the problem.
“Everything that is happening along the border is just adding fuel to the fire because what you’re having is, you’re having people at the very top say one thing and the people down at the ground do another. The governor no doubt is doing everything he can to secure the border,” the Texas congressman continued.
A Texas trooper-medic’s claim that agents are ordered to deny migrants water and push them back into the river is “not acceptable,” Texas @RepTonyGonzales says.
Asked if the tactics are inhumane, he says there’s a “disconnect” between those “at the top” and those on the ground. pic.twitter.com/SxaOItexOF
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) July 23, 2023
The White House has strongly condemned Texas’s border fence as inhumane, as well, but has stopped short of calling it illegal. The fence has received heavy criticism and drew controversy after an internal complaint filed by a Texas state trooper raised concerns that Abbott’s policies had stepped over the line.
Brennan asked Gonzales about Abbott’s installation of floating buoys and multi-layered razor wire, as well as alleged orders to push migrants back into the river.
“This is your district; is this acceptable? These tactics?” Brennan asked Gonzales, to which he responded, “It’s not acceptable. It’s not acceptable, and it hasn’t been for two years.”
“I would be happy to host the president of the United States at Eagle Pass and walk through this situation. To me, Congress has to solve this because we’ve been waiting on a president for decades to solve this, and it’s not going to be solved,” Gonzales said.
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Gonzales, who recently introduced a bill to make it easier for immigrants to obtain work visas, said Congress needs to take action in addressing the border crisis instead of deferring to the Biden administration.
“We can’t just wait on the president to solve things. We can’t wait for governors to try and fix it themselves,” Gonzales said. “Congress has a role to play in this.”
