Fox News: GOP senators tour southern border in Texas, say migrant crisis is a ‘self-inflicted wound’

A delegation of Republican senators took a tour of the besieged southern border on Friday, declaring the ongoing human and drug trafficking crisis a “self-inflicted wound” — as rhetoric on who to blame for the ongoing crisis continues to escalate.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, led a delegation to the Rio Grande Valley, where senators toured the border with Border Patrol agents, heard from local officials and visited a stash house that had just been raided by law enforcement.

The delegation, which also included Sen. John Thune, R-S.D.; Deb Fischer, R-Neb.; Pete Ricketts, R-Neb.; Katie Britt, R-Ala.; and Roger Wicker, R-Miss., was clear that it believes the blame for the crisis lies with the Biden administration, noting the massive increase in encounters under its watch.

“The Biden administration could not have created a more serious border crisis than we have if they had tried. The signal was absolutely sent out to anyone who wanted to hear that people should come to the border,” Wicker said. “It’s not only folks from our neighboring Mexico and Central and South America, but from all over the world. We saw a number of Asians today. So a worldwide signal has been heard, and the world is responding.”

Wicker went on to say that the border was being policed by the cartels, and made note of the continued trafficking of fatal drugs like fentanyl across the U.S. border.

“Everything from gun running to drugs — the most poisonous, fatal drugs — to human trafficking and prostitution. It is a shame and a crisis and an avoidable self-inflicted wound on this country,” he said.

There were more than 2.3 million migrant encounters in FY 2022, and FY 2023 has been on pace to top those record numbers.

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