Suozzi, Problem Solvers Talk About Border Issues On Texas Visit

WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Rep. Thomas Suozzi, along with nine other members of Congress’ Problem Solvers Caucus visited Texas, along the U.S./Mexico border, earlier this week to assess the situation.

During the two-day trip, which took place over Monday and Tuesday, Suozzi, a Democrat from Glen Cove, and the caucus met with local politicians, as well as community leaders from businesses and non-profits, in McAllen and Misson, Texas.

In McAllen, they visited Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley’s Humanitarian Respite Center, as well as the border patrol station. They also visited the Donna Land Port of Entry, which connects Donna with Rio Bravo, Tamaulipas, Mexico; and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection soft-sided facility in Donna. They also took a boat tour of the Rio Grande with Operation Lone Star of the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Suozzi’s office said that on their trip the caucus pledged to work together and find common ground to address the “on-going problem” along border.

Suozzi, who also visited the border back in 2018, first encountered the immigration issue as the mayor of his hometown 27 years ago, leading him to become the first mayor on the east coast to establish a day worker site.

On his visit, Suozzi said he reaffirmed his commitment to work across the aisle to keep the U.S.’s borders secure, “while ensuring humanity remains a main pillar of United States immigration policy.”

Suozzi described the situation at the southern border as a crisis that did not happen overnight, calling it “a legal and humanitarian issue for more than 30 years.” He said the leaders he met with on his visit, “have been working their hardest, under incredibly difficult circumstances” to secure the country’s borders “and protect the most vulnerable among us, families and young children, from the exploitation of smugglers and cartels.”

“Finger pointing and political jabs are not only not helpful, they distract us from doing the job we were elected to do — solve this very real problem,” he said. “The bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus is resolute in coming together to address this situation and I call upon my colleagues in both the House and Senate to join us. The time is now; lives are in peril.”